The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on Wednesday submitted a report to the Local Government Department on the recent drowning of a three-year-old child, blaming the “carelessness” of a departmental store and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) construction officials for the incident.
The tragic incident occurred on November 30 near the NIPA flyover in Gulshan-e-Iqbal in front of the Chase Departmental Store, when the three-year-old Ibrahim fell into a manhole.
His body was recovered from within the chamber of a link Nullah of the Town Municipal Corporation (TMC), Gulshan-e-Iqbal, on Monday.
The report said that, “following the retrieval of the body, the site was meticulously inspected to ascertain the exact cause of the drowning.”
“The inspection confirmed that the ongoing BRT construction work at the location is a significant factor. Based on the reports from the concerned inspectors and area residents, the BRT construction has resulted in severe damage and disruption of the entire drainage system, which runs from NIPA towards Aziz Bhatti Park.”
It further observed that, at most of the locations, the drains were covered temporarily by 2×2 square-feet covers; however, one of these covers was “reportedly left open in front of the Chase Departmental Store.”
The report accused the BRT officials of failing to formally notify or obtain clearance from KMC prior to carrying out this work.
“These pits were excavated by BRT officials and subsequently paved over during road construction.”
The KMC said the incident occurred due to the “carelessness” of both BRT officials and the management of the Chase Departmental Store, as neither took adequate measures to secure the open drain.
In a tweet, the KMC stated, “Footage of the unfortunate incident has now surfaced, clearly showing that the child fell into the stormwater drain managed by the TMC Gulshan.”
“The administration of Chase Up Mall had encroached on the site to create their parking space, and it can also be seen that the manhole in front was closed,” it said.
The KMC pledged strict action against the responsible and firm measures to enforce the prevention of such incidents in the future.
It also tendered an apology to the citizens of Karachi.
TMC Gulshan-e-Iqbal Chairman Fauad Ahmed said that BRT officials exhibited severe negligence, as the project has now become a menace for the citizens.
According to him, the BRT is the biggest stakeholder as they have captured the whole university road under the guise of development.
He further said that the KMC and its departments were solely responsible for the disruption at University Road and the drainage system.
As per the KMC’s website, the road linking Safoora Goth to Jail Chowrangi — the University Road — comes under its mandate; however, the service road connected to it is under the administration of TMC, Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
He also accused BRT officials of not being present at the site, nor were their machinery to assist the rescue operations.
Meanwhile, a significant development has emerged in the drowning case after a video showed that the manhole cover went missing after a dumper truck ran over it.
According to the newly obtained footage, a dumper truck appears to have been indirectly responsible for the missing cover.
The video shows that the manhole cover was initially in place. However, at around 2am on November 17, several dumper trucks passed along the road, and one of them, coming from the wrong direction, drove directly over the manhole.
The impact from the truck’s wheel dislodged the cover, which can be seen breaking clearly in the footage, leaving the manhole exposed just hours before the fatal accident.
