Kurukshetra: Unmindful of danger, people continue to enter canals to cool down

Tribune News Service

Nitish Sharma

Kurukshetra, may 1

With the soaring temperatures, children taking dips in canals, rivers and village ponds to beat the heat is a common but risky practice.

Though warning boards are installed and the police department regularly issues directions asking people not to swim in canals and rivers, people continue to throw caution to the wind and some end up losing their lives.

Recently, Mohit (22), a student of Kurukshetra University lost his life when he drowned in a canal while swimming near Mirzapur village. Another youth Rajat (24) had drowned when he had gone for a swim with two friends at the Badarpur canal in Ladwa.

Similar incidents were reported last year too. Two boys had drowned in the SYL canal under the jurisdiction of the Jhansa police station. The deceased were identified as Prahlad and Gaurav, residents of Dhurala village. Five friends had gone for swimming in the canal when two of them had died.

In another incident last year, two students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kurukshetra, had drowned in the Narwana branch of Bhakra canal. The deceased were identified as Rahul Tripathi, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, and Anubhav, a resident of Rajasthan.

Diver Pargat Singh, who is well known for retrieving bodies and rescuing people in Haryana and Punjab, said, “We have recovered several bodies over the last couple of months in Kurukshetra and nearby districts. From morning till late evening, children continue to dive into canals, flouting safety norms. We appeal to the people to stay away from the canals. We also request the police to stop people from bathing there and to deploy emergency response vehicles (Dial-112) along the canals.”

The incharge of the Jyotisar police post, Sub-Inspector Prince, said, “Following the directions of Kurukshetra Superintendent of Police (SP) Surinder Singh Bhoria, patrolling along the canal has been increased and regular monitoring is being done. Whenever children are found swimming, they are guided and asked to stay away from canals.”

The SP said, “There have been incidents of young boys losing their lives while swimming. The locations where such incidents have been reported in the past have been identified and directions have been issued to keep a close watch along the canals. Patrolling has been increased. Warning boards are already installed and people are requested not to use canals, rivers and village ponds for bathing.”

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