A 10-year-old girl named Mounika died after she accidentally fell into a pit on the road near her home after a heavy spell of rain on Saturday morning at Kalasiguda in Secunderabad, police said.
Two GHMC officials were suspended after the incident. A. Triumalaiah, AEE, was suspended for negligence as the road work wasn’t executed with proper barricades. Work Inspector BM Harikrishna was also suspended.
The GHMC Commissioner asked EE R. Indira Bai to investigate the incident and submit a report within 10 days.
Police said the girl died after she was washed away in a drain in Secunderabad. The girl’s body was recovered from the drain by the combined efforts of the police, rescue personnel and locals.
The girl had stepped out of her home along with her 15-year-old brother to buy a milk packet from a nearby store, they said. She fell into the manhole after saving her brother from falling into it. Her body was found by the GHMC DRF team and local police in a drain near Park Lane in Secunderabad.
GHMC Mayor Vijaya Lakshmi R. Gadwal visited the site of the mishap and lashed out at officials over the girl’s death.
Vijaya Lakshmi, who met the girl’s family, announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of of kin, a GHMC release said.
The mayor said regular meetings are held with GHMC officials on the condition of roads and other civic issues. The officials are regularly told that such incidents should not happen, she said.
Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, who is the Lok Sabha Member from Secunderabad, visited the spot and said that the lack of coordination between the GHMC and the HWSSB in executing civic works led to the girl’s death.
Animal Husbandry Minister T Srinivas Yadav, however, took exception to the remarks about lack of coordination and other issues. Yadav said Kishan should spell out what he has done as an MP for Secunderabad during the last four years.
Massive projects are being executed in the city under the Strategic Nala Development Programme, he said.
Meanwhile, a GHMC release said two officials were suspended for negligence regarding the incident. The GHMC Commissioner sought a report from concerned officials within 10 days, it said.
