Noida: A six-year-old boy drowned after slipping into a 15-foot-deep, rainwater-filled pit dug by Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) for a borewell inside a housing society in Knowledge Park on Saturday evening. The contractor engaged for the project and two officials of water works department were arrested.Residents of Kaladham society, where the incident occurred, alleged that the pit had neither barricades nor warning signs despite being located within the society premises. The pit was dug two days earlier as part of a project to address the residential complex’s water shortage.According to police, Avyaan Surya — whose father Siwan Yadav is the vice-principal of a Kendriya Vidyalaya — had stepped out of home around evening to play cricket with friends, carrying his own bat with him.
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The children were playing close to the pit, which had filled with rainwater. Some wooden planks were lying beside the pit and Avyaan, along with another child, began playing with them.“His foot slipped and he fell into the pit. His friend immediately raised an alarm. Nearby residents and the child’s father rushed to the spot, pulled him out and took him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead,” a senior officer said.Pranjal, a resident living about 50 metres from the spot, said he was washing his car around 6.45pm when a child ran to him seeking help.“He said his friend was drowning. I was shocked because I never imagined there could be an open pit inside the society premises. When I reached the spot, the boy was struggling to stay afloat. A few residents and I managed to pull him out and rush him to hospital. Unfortunately, he could not be revived,” he added.Pranjal said he later learnt that the pit was dug by GNIDA for borewell work. “Nobody was informed about it. There were no barricades, warning boards or any indication that the area was dangerous and people should keep off,” he added.Residents said the society was facing an acute water crisis and had repeatedly requested GNIDA to improve supply.Siwan Yadav demanded the strictest action against those responsible, saying gross negligence led to his son’s death. “I lost my son because of someone’s negligence. The govt must take the toughest possible action. Those responsible should face a murder charge,” he said.DCP Ravi Shankar Nim said an FIR was registered at Knowledge Park police station under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the BNS on a complaint by Yadav.Manoj Jain (53), the contractor, technical supervisor Akash Kumar (26) of GNIDA’s water works department and supervisor Anuj Kumar (35) were arrested. “During preliminary inquiry, we found that the pit had been left without barricades, warning signage or other mandatory safety measures after excavation,” the DCP said.
