Sagar’s low fence to blame for suicides

Officials ignore pleas to raise its height

The fence surrounding the Tank Bund lake is too low, making it convenient for those so inclined to commit suicide by jumping into the lake, says the Lake police, who stop at least one person every two days from jumping into the Hussainsagar.

The police have written to the concerned authorities to increase the height of the fence but there has been no response.

In different incidents reported earlier in February, the Hyderabad Lake police rescued four women and two children from committing suicide in the Hussainsagar.

On January 31, 2018, a cab driver’s presence of mind saved a woman’s life. The woman booked a cab from her residence in Marredpally to Tank Bund.

Noticing his passenger weeping copiously, the cab driver drove straight to the Lake police station where on questioning she said she was going to jump into the lake to end her life because “she had some financial issues and could not bear the arguments anymore,” a police officer said.

“We have approached the GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) and HMDA (Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority) to increase the height of the fence, making it hard for people to climb it,” said inspector Dhanalaxmi of the Lake police.

People come from far off locations in cabs and other means of transport to commit suicide here. “We have had cases where the victims have come from the outskirts to jump into the lake because it’s easy to climb the fence and jump off. We have identified two to three hotspots around the lake where we notice the most cases and we keep a tighter vigil on those places,” she said.