Date:09/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/09/stories/2007020922640300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Five-year-old boy falls into drain, dies

Staff Reporter

The incident happened near Kamakya cinema

DANGEROUS PLACE: The open drain in Banashankari 3rd stage, in which a boy fell and died on Wednesday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: A five-year-old boy died on Wednesday after he accidentally fell into a storm water drain that was being repaired by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) under the Vrushabavathi valley remodelling package.

Police said Khadar Basha fell into the drain near the Kamakya cinema in 3rd Stage, Banashankari.

The police suspect that Khadar could have slipped into the drain, which abuts the busy Ring Road, while trying to avoid a speeding vehicle.

A passer-by who went near the drain around 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday to answer nature's call found the boy's body floating in the drain.

As Basha's house is also situated near the drain, his mother rushed there on learning that a boy had fell into the drain. With the help of her neighbours, she rushed Basha to a nearby hospital.

The doctors declared him brought dead, the police said.

Basha's father Nabi Rasool is a mattress maker and mother Beebi is a domestic help.

The couple hailing from Andhra Pradesh has been living in Bangalore for many years.Basha was the younger of their two sons.

Protest

Angered by the boy's death, residents of the area led by former corporator A.H. Basavaraju staged a demonstration near the Kamakya cinema on Thursday.

Blaming the BBMP officials and the contractor executing the drain work for the boy's death, the residents demanded action against the jurisdictional Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) and the East Coast Construction of India, the company executing the project.

Compensation

Admitting that the jurisdictional engineers had not monitored work, BBMP Joint Commissioner (South) V. Yeshwanth said the contractors had been directed to pay Rs. 30,000 as compensation to Basha's family. "From the BBMP side, we will soon release Rs. 20,000 to the family," he said.