Silchar: An eight-year-old boy drowned after falling into a deep, rainwater-filled ditch excavated for a national highway project in Assam’s Cachar district on Saturday, triggering allegations of inadequate safety measures at the construction site.The victim, Kamil Hossain Majumdar of Tarinipur Part I under Katigorah Police Station, was found in a waterlogged excavation pit dug alongside the under-construction road under the Bharatmala Project.According to local residents, Kamil left his home around noon but failed to return, prompting his family and neighbours to launch a search. Around 2 pm, he was found submerged in one of the deep ditches created for the highway construction. Although he was pulled out immediately and attempts were made to revive him, he could not be saved.The incident sparked anger among residents, who accused the construction agency of failing to ensure adequate safety around hazardous excavation sites. They alleged that several deep pits along the under-construction stretch have filled with rainwater during the monsoon, making it impossible to judge their depth.Residents claimed the site lacked proper barricades, protective railings, and warning signboards despite posing a serious risk to pedestrians, particularly children.Demanding accountability, locals urged senior officials of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) to conduct a thorough inquiry into the incident. They also called for immediate identification of all dangerous excavation pits along the project corridor and installation of barricades, railings, and cautionary signage to prevent similar tragedies.
