Guwahati: A 32-year-old youth died after falling into a pit dug by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a water supply project in the Hengerabari area in Guwahati city on Thursday night.
The victim, identified as Mantu Deka, was walking home from work when he fell into the pit. He was rushed to the Dispur Polyclinic hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Deka’s death has sparked outrage among residents of Guwahati, who have accused the JICA and the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) of negligence.
They have alleged that the pit was not properly barricaded or lit, and that there were no warning signs in place.
The GMDA has said that it will investigate the incident and take necessary action against those responsible.
Deka’s death is the latest in a series of accidents caused by open pits dug for construction projects in Guwahati.
In recent months, there have been several reports of people falling into these pits and sustaining serious injuries.
Earlier in June, a Class XI student of a private school, identified as Priya Kumari was crushed under the rear wheels of a school bus after she fell off a scooter, skidded due to an obstruction created by the Guwahati Jal Board in Guwahati’s Ganeshguri.
The CCTV visuals showed that the scooter skidded due to an obstruction as there was a pit dug by the Guwahati Jal Board for laying water pipelines and was left open without any barricade.
In July, a youth identified as Sourav Kumar Das, 28, died after falling into a pit near Gate Hospital in the city’s Mathgharia area.
Residents of Guwahati have called on the GMDA and other authorities to take immediate steps to prevent such accidents from happening again.
They have demanded that all open pits be properly barricaded and lit, and that warning signs be placed in prominent locations.