Pune: 9-Year-Old Drowns in Ghorpadi Construction Pit; Safety Concerns Raised
Pune – A nine-year-old boy tragically drowned in a water-filled pit excavated for a flyover pillar in Ghorpadi. While the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) claims to have implemented safety measures such as barricading and security guards, questions are being raised about how the child managed to enter the restricted area.
The ongoing construction of the railway flyover has been in progress for months, with a pit dug behind the Sai Baba Temple. However, work was halted due to a sewage pipeline burst, which led to the pit filling with contaminated water.
On March 29, Krish Subhash Angarkar (9), a resident of Khan Road near Racecourse, drowned in the water-filled pit. Following the incident, municipal officials, including Executive Engineer Abhijit Ambekar, inspected the site twice—on the night of March 29 and again on April 1.
PMC maintains that safety measures were in place, including metal sheet barricades, a soil mound blocking access, and a security guard on duty. However, locals argue that gaps in the barricades allowed children to enter. They also claim that security personnel were absent when the work was halted on March 27 and 28. Additionally, a nearby natural water body attracts children for swimming, raising concerns about whether the child mistakenly ventured into the construction site.
Residents have questioned why the security guard failed to prevent the child from accessing the pit if he was indeed present. The police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“Safety measures were implemented, but it remains unclear how the child gained access to the site. The police are conducting further inquiries, and PMC is supporting the victim’s family,” said Yuvraj Deshmukh, Chief Engineer, Special Projects, PMC.
