Day after kids drowning at Mohali park, admn bats for community vigil

Despite three drowning-related deaths involving children in past 24 hours, the police and the district administration has not found anomaly in the incidents.

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The police said they have inspected the spots and found that “there was nothing unnatural”, while the administration officials have not even conducted a probe in the death so far.

“The victims were the kids of migrant labourers, that’s why there has been no action” said an acquaintance of the father of a deceased child today.

The administration has appealed to the village panchayats to keep a close watch on water bodies flowing through their areas by deploying thikri pehras (community vigil teams).

Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal, meanwhile, called for the strengthening weak embankments and monitoring rising water levels.

The administration had earlier issued a general advisory to residents, urging them to stay away from seasonal rivulets, swollen water bodies and ponds, with Deputy Commissioner saying, “Construction workers and building owners must ensure that minors are kept away from tanks or pits filled with water at construction sites.”

Appealing to families, the Deputy Commissioner had urged parents and guardians to keep children—both minors and young adults—away from water bodies during this season to prevent any untoward incidents. “We must all be cautious and proactive to safeguard precious lives,” she added.

The District Control Room is fully operational and can be contacted at 0172-2219506 for reporting any emergencies related to swollen streams (choes) or other water-related hazards.

Three deaths in 24 hours

Two children lost their lives after drowning in stagnant rainwater at a vacant park in Sector 119.

One of the victims, Aradhya, 8, was playing near the park when she stepped into the near-10-ft deep water accidentally. Aryan, 10, who was also playing in the reached for the girl, but both kids drowned in panic. Around 10-15 passers-by gathered on the road but no one mustered courage to save the drowning children.

Other children informed the boy’s father, who cycled all the way from work to look for his son. He jumped into the mud-filled pool to pull out the children around 4.15 pm. The victims were rushed to Phase-6 civil hospital, where doctors declared them dead.

A day later, the boy’s father Ajay Kumar rued that his son and the girl could have been saved had the passers-by shown a little courage and awareness to save the drowning kids.

"Around 15 of them were present at the spot. They just kept standing and staring. When I asked them why they did not try to save the children, they said none of them knew how to swim," he said.

Both of Aryan’s parents are migrant labourers. Neighbours said the child used to go to play near the vacant park after school while his parents were at work. He went to a government school in Balongi along with eight-year-old Aradhya, the daughter of a single mother.

Local residents expressed resentment over no Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) or administration officials visiting the site after the tragedy. The family members of the deceased have also sought financial help from the administration.

Balongi Station House Officer Kulwant Singh said, “The bodies have been handed over to the family members. As of now, action has been initiated under section 174 of the CrPC. If any complaint is received, further action will be taken.”

Another 10-year-old boy, Harishanker, son of Hari Chander, a migrant labourer from Bihar, had also drowned in a pit in low-lying area of Bakarpur village in IT City.

The victim was a student of government school in Bakarpur. When the incident happened, the father had gone to work in the paddy fields nearby. The family members became worried when the child did not return from school till late in the afternoon. Upon inquiring from fellow students, they came to know that he had fallen in the pit. The victim was rushed to hospital, where he was declared dead.

Ajaib Singh, a resident of the village, said that the child was playing near the pit and accidentally fell into it. A few residents complained that the pit had been dug up a few days ago and remained open ever since.