Open pit claims life of 3-year-old in Greater Noida, questions raised over safety lapses
Greater Noida (Uttam Hindu News): Negligent open pits in Delhi-NCR are continuously taking the lives of innocent and common people. The matter of the death of software engineer Yuvraj Mehta in Noida and Kamal in Delhi had not yet cooled down when another tragic incident took place in Greater Noida. Three-year-old innocent child Devansh lost his life after drowning in an open pit in Dalelgarh village. After this heartbreaking incident, on one hand there is mourning in the family, on the other hand, a dispute and a round of allegations and counter-allegations has started between the villagers and the Greater Noida Authority regarding the ownership rights of the land with the pit.
The innocent child had come to his maternal uncle's house to attend a religious event.
Rakesh's wife, Anjali, a resident of Saponi village in Secunderabad, had come to Dalelgarh village in Greater Noida with their three-year-old son, Devansh. A 41-day religious ritual, organized by her brother Devendra, was underway at the Daleshvar Baba shrine in Anjali's maternal home. Saturday was the final day of the event, and a huge feast was being organized. While playing, the innocent Devansh disappeared from the family's sight and fell into a nearby 6-7-foot-deep pit filled with water.
The incident was discovered by a cap floating in the water, and happiness turned into mourning.
Amidst the busyness of the feast, when the family noticed that Devansh had been missing for a long time, they began searching for him. When no trace of him was found even after extensive searching, someone suddenly noticed a deep pit filled with water near the Samadhi site. The child's cap was seen floating on the water. Fearing something untoward, people immediately went down into the pit and pulled the child out. He was rushed to the nearest hospital, but by then it was too late. Doctors declared Devansh dead, which caused an uproar at the venue and left the family inconsolable.
The villagers and the authority have their own claims regarding the land.
Following this tragic incident, administrative officials and a team from the Greater Noida Authority arrived at the scene. Villagers directly allege that the pit in which the child drowned is on pasture land. According to the villagers, sometimes the authorities and sometimes others arbitrarily dug out the soil from here, creating a deadly pit. Rain and drain water filled it, making it even more dangerous. Villagers say they had repeatedly requested the authorities to fence it, but no action was taken.
Meanwhile, Greater Noida Authority General Manager AK Singh dismissed these allegations, stating that an investigation revealed the land, Khasra number 373, is the private property of farmers Ganga Ram and Dharamveer. Therefore, the authority cannot take any direct action there. ADCP Greater Noida Sudhir Singh stated that no official complaint has been filed by the victim's family at this time. Upon receiving the complaint, the police will take further legal action.