Guwahati: Following Sunday’s tragic incident in which a 30-year-old woman lost her life after falling into an open drain, concerns among citizens over the dangers of uncovered drains have further escalated after three more bodies were recovered on Tuesday.DCP (West) Balin Deuri said the first body was recovered in the city’s Saukuchi area and identified as Akhtar Ali (28), an epileptic patient from Hatigaon’s Notboma area. Ali had been missing since Sunday, prompting his family to file a missing person report at Hatigaon police station.Deuri added that a second body was found in Jyotikuchi on the same day and identified as Ashim Kalita, an electrician who had gone out for work on Sunday and did not return. His family filed a missing person complaint at Fatasil Ambari police station, and later identified his body.The third body was recovered from Pamohi near Garchuk, though the deceased has not yet been identified. “We suspect they may have fallen into open drains. The chief secretary has instructed us to cooperate with the district administration in identifying open drains and reporting them. Our police force has been deployed for this,” Deuri said.Several parts of the city continue to grapple with the dangers posed by open drains, raising safety concerns among residents — especially with the monsoon season approaching. Locals from areas such as Geetanagar, Chandmari, Hatigaon, and others said stormwater drains often overflow, posing grave risks.“During the monsoon, the entire stretch gets submerged. You don’t know where the road ends and the drain begins — it’s an accident waiting to happen. The drain has remained open for over 20 years, and no official has ever come to inspect it,” said Ranjit Bora, who runs a shop in Geetanagar.Meanwhile, in Chandmari’s Krishna Nagar area, where a minor fell into an open drain two years ago, many drains remain uncovered. Residents claim that no permanent solution has been implemented.Kamrup (Metropolitan) DC Swapneel Paul said, “PWD has been instructed to conduct a survey and ensure closure of open drains across the city. At present, we are prioritising areas where slabs have been dislocateden masse due to strong water flow. Once they are restored, we will conduct another survey to identify any openings and plug them, at least by erecting barriers as a short-term measure,” he said.
