Pune: A nine-year-old boy drowned in a water-filled pit at an under-construction flyover site in Ghorpadi, raising serious concerns about safety measures at the site. While the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) claims that barricades and security guards were in place, locals have questioned how the child managed to access the restricted area, increasing suspicion surrounding his tragic death.
Construction Work Halted, Pit Filled with Contaminated Water
The PMC’s Special Projects Department has been working on a flyover over railway tracks in Ghorpadi for the past few months. As part of the project, a pit was excavated behind the Sai Baba temple for the construction of a pillar. However, due to a damaged sewage pipeline, the pit filled with wastewater, forcing the work to be temporarily stopped.
On March 29, Krish Subhash Angarkar (9), a resident of Khan Road near Racecourse, was found drowned in the pit. The PMC’s executive engineer, Abhijit Ambekar, and his team inspected the site twice—on March 29 night and again on April 1. While the PMC insists that the site was secured with barricades and a security guard, locals strongly dispute these claims.
Safety Concerns and Contradictory Claims
The PMC stated that the pit was surrounded by metal barricades, a mound of soil, and a security guard was on duty.
However, residents pointed out that the barricades had gaps wide enough for children to enter.
They also highlighted that another water-filled pit nearby is a common swimming spot for local kids, indicating that children frequent the area.
Locals’ Allegations Against PMC
Residents also claimed that:
Construction work was halted on March 27 and 28, and no security guard was present during this time.
There was no active monitoring of the site, despite the presence of a dangerous water-filled pit.
If a security guard was indeed on duty, why did he not prevent the child from entering the area?
With several unanswered questions surrounding how the child entered the site and drowned, the police have launched an investigation.
"The site had barricades and security measures, yet the child still managed to reach the pit. The police are conducting a thorough investigation, and the PMC is providing support to the child’s family," said Yuvraj Deshmukh, Chief Engineer, Special Projects, PMC.
