Woman carrying 5-month-old infant falls in open drain in Palghar
The mother and child are receiving treatment at a private hospital as the woman injured her left leg while her son suffered injuries on his hand and leg
A 25-year-old woman fell into an uncovered three-foot-deep drain in Palghar (West) on Saturday evening. The woman, who was carrying her five-month-old son when the incident occurred, dropped him on the road before she fell into the drain.
The mother and child are receiving treatment at a private hospital as the woman injured her left leg while her son suffered injuries on his hand and leg. Priti Singh was taking her son Aarav to a paediatrician near Devisahav Road on Saturday as the boy was unwell. “After I parked my car at the parking lot of a building, my wife was walking to the clinic with our child in her arms when she fell into the open drain,” said Aditya Singh, 30, the woman’s husband.
“Due to the rain, the drain was full of water and sewage from the building,” he said.
After hearing her cries, Aditya rushed to her aid and pulled Singh out of the drain. He also gathered his son who was lying on the road.
“Due to the fall, she has suffered serious leg injuries and my son was also hurt. I rushed them to the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital at Andheri where both are receiving treatment,” said Aditya. The open drain was later covered with plywood planks so as to prevent further accidents.
“I blame the builder who had kept the drain open and did not place any lid on it. The Palghar Municipal Council (PMC) is also to blame for not pulling up the builder for his callous attitude. I will complain to the Palghar police as soon as my wife and child are discharged from the hospital,” said Aditya.
Dr Ujwala Kale, president of the PMC, said a show-cause notice will be issued to the builder for not covering the drain. Kale offered her sympathies to the woman and her child but did not accept any blame on the part of the PMC. Corporator Kailash Mhatre alleged that the PMC should accept responsibility for encouraging the illegal construction of the building, where the open drain was built.
“The PMC is playing with the lives of people and the guilty should be booked for negligence,” said Mhatre.