Watch out, this could have been you!

OLD WOMAN FALLS INTO PIT LEFT OPEN BY BMC AT DADAR

An octogenarian, Mahrukh Buwariwala, fell into a pit dug up by the Hydraulic (water) Department of the BMC to trace a leak from a water pipeline. She was shocked after her tumble but suffered no injury.

The incident took place on Tuesday noon, at the Parsi Youths Assembly School on Firdoshi Road at Five Gardens in Dadar (East). Nearby shopkeepers had rushed to help her.

According to BMC Assistant Engineer Bhalerao of the Hydraulic Department (City), the pit was dug up two days ago to trace the leak. It is a different matter that the civic workers are yet to find it.

The BMC, as is customary, had only placed bamboo sticks around the pit to ward off intrepid jay walkers; there was no signboard when the FPJ photographer visited the site. Bhalerao defended his workers and said the old lady had bent to peep inside the pit and had slipped.

Meanwhile, ward officials, fearing a public outcry, tried their best to keep the information under wraps. Keshav Ubale, Assistant Commissioner of Dadar East ward (FNorth), denied any work was being carried out by the corporation. While speaking to The Free Press Journal, Ubale said, “Our officers visited the place and no such civic work is on.” He had no knowledge of any such incident either.

BMC pits and manholes must carry signboards, if they are open; also, they must be cordoned off with robust barriers, so that inquisitive onlookers do not trip into the cavity.