DC orders probe into uncovered manholes after cabbie’s death

A day after a 34-year-old cab driver was found dead in an open manhole near Vatika Chowk, the district administration on Saturday constituted a panel to probe the incident in coordination with Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), said officials.

Taking serious note of the incident, deputy commissioner (DC) Nishant Kumar Yadav has asked the subdivisional magistrate to submit a probe report within three days.

Police said that the victim, Dinesh Kumar, a native of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, was walking towards the bus stand in Badshahpur when he fell through the manhole that was lying open for the past many days.

Kumar was reported missing since April 14 and his body was recovered after seven days, police said.

Vikas Singh, 28, Kumar’s brother, said Kumar called him last on April 14 around 6.15pm saying that he was about to board the bus for Mathura. “We waited till midnight but he did not reach home. We tried calling him but his phone was off. After waiting for a day, I went to Gurugram and complained to Sector 56 police, after which a missing person complaint was filed,” he said.

Madan Lal, station house officer, said no one noticed Kumar falling into the manhole. “It was only when a foul smell started emanating from the manhole were the police alerted. There are no CCTV cameras at the spot, so we were unable to ascertain the time when Kumar fell into the manhole,” he said.

The district administration said they will provide a compensation to the aggrieved family as it was the responsibility of civic agency to ensure that all manholes are kept covered. “We will decide the amount after discussing with the civic agency and the committee members,” said Yadav.

The DC said the MCG executive engineer, executive engineers of the public health and a district administration officer will be part of the committee that will probe whether the uncovered sewer line was responsible for the tragic death.

PC Meena, MCG commissioner, said he has asked all officials responsible for maintaining sewer lines to prepare a list of manholes that are lying open. “All areas would be inspected and strict action will be initiated if any unsafe spot is found in the city,” he said.

Meena said supervisors have been directed to monitor manholes, open drains, sewers and ventilation shafts, while other field staff will visit residential areas to check whether there is any pending complaints related to manholes lying open.

MCG officials said theft of manhole cover is rampant across the city and they have decided to report the theft to police to ensure action against the culprits.

“Drug peddlers and drug addicts are more inclined to steal these covers, which are made of cast iron, because they fetch a good price in the scrap market; about ₹2,500 to ₹8,500. We will write to police to step up night patrolling since CCTV cameras do not work in many areas,” said Meena.