New Delhi, Feb 11 (IANS) Just days after a biker lost his life after falling into a pit in Delhi’s Janakpuri, another fatal accident has been reported from the national capital, where a labourer died after falling into an uncovered manhole in the Begumpur area of Rohini Sector 32, police said on Wednesday.

The deceased has been identified as 27-year-old Birju, a native of Samastipur district in Bihar. Police stated that the sewer lid was allegedly left open on a vacant piece of land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

According to police officials, a PCR call was received at Begumpur Police Station at around 2.36 p.m. on Tuesday, informing authorities that a person was suspected to have fallen into a sewer. A second call was received around 4 p.m., prompting a police team to immediately reach the location.

Amir Hussain, who informed the police about the incident, said that his friend Birju Kumar had fallen into an open manhole on Monday night.

Another labourer, Budhan Das, told the police that he and Birju had consumed alcohol on Monday evening and were returning to their jhuggi at around 7:30 p.m. when Birju reportedly lost his balance and fell into the uncovered sewer.

Budhan Das admitted that he did not alert anyone immediately after the incident, as he was heavily intoxicated at the time. He later revealed the incident after regaining his senses.

Meanwhile, residents alleged serious negligence by the authorities and claimed that the response to the emergency was delayed.

“In the evening, while returning, one of them fell in. There was no cover on this sewer, and not just here but along the entire road. The covers were only placed after the incident. I called, and only then did the rescue and other officials come,” an eyewitness told IANS.

Another eyewitness alleged poor infrastructure and a lack of lighting in the area.

“There are no street lights in the area, and the drains were left open. Anyone can fall into it; it’s so dark out here. The labourer was missing since Monday afternoon, and when people tried to search for him, they found his slipper here, and hence it was found that he fell into the open drain,” the eyewitness said while speaking to IANS.

Expressing anger over the incident, another local said, “The administration is at fault. Anyone can fall into these open drains. The drains were covered only after the incident happened. Our kids usually take this route. What if they had fallen? The administration should answer.”

Police said that the fire brigade, DDA and other concerned agencies were immediately informed following the complaint, and a rescue operation was initiated.

The body was later recovered from the manhole with the assistance of the fire brigade personnel and subsequently sent to a hospital for further legal formalities.

Police confirmed that further investigation into the incident is currently underway.

The incident occurred shortly after another fatal accident in Delhi, where Kamal Dhyani, an assistant manager at the Rohini branch of HDFC Bank, died last week after his motorcycle reportedly fell into a deep pit allegedly dug by the Delhi Jal Board for sewer-related work and left inadequately secured.

–IANS

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