6-yr-old dies after falling in open sewage tank in panchayat office

CHENNAI: A six-year-old boy died after falling inside an open sewage tank inside Venkatapuram village panchayat office premises, near Chengalpattu on Sunday.

According to the police, the incident happened on Sunday when Manikandan of Venkatapuram went to the village panchayat office with his son Pradeep (6) to buy purified drinking water. As Manikandan waited in the queue, his son was playing in the panchayat office premises.

While playing, the boy failed to notice that the sewage tank was open and fell inside. After a while, Manikandan started to search for Pradeep but could not find him. Soon, others joined him in the effort. A little while later, some of them checked the tank and found Pradeep’s body floating inside.

On information, officials from Paalur police station came to the spot and retrieved the body, which was sent to the Chengalpattu GH for post-mortem examination. The police have registered a case and are inquiring with the panchayat officials.

Following the incident, Chengalpattu Collector AR Rahul Nadh ordered an inquiry and also suspended Venkatapuram village panchayat secretary Renuka and pump operator Gunasekaran. The local residents said the sewage tank has remained open for a long time. According to them, goats and dogs have fallen inside several times. However, officials did not cover the tank with the lid even after that, they alleged.