Taking notice of the news of a child falling into a manhole in Lodhran aired on the 24News TV channel, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has ordered the removal of the city’s deputy commissioner, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.
Offering her sympathies and condolences to the bereaved family, she said she would not allow any innocent soul falling prey to the negligence of any government official.
On the other hand, a case has been registered against Sub-Engineer Tariq Mehmood and the contractor.
After Sindh, manholes have started taking lives of children in Punjab as well. In one such incident reported from Dhanot in Lodhran, a seven-year-old boy, Muhammad Rehan, fell into a manhole while he was going to a school.
Rescue 1122 staffers later retrieved the body of the child from the manhole after hectic efforts of one hour.
Five days ago, three-year-old Ibrahim fell into a manhole near NIPA Chowrangi in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi.
Ibrahim’s body was recovered after a 15-hour search.
The young child fell into the open manhole on Sunday night around 11 PM while he was with his family on their way to a departmental store. Rescue teams immediately began efforts to locate him but initially faced difficulties, leading to a temporary halt in official rescue operations.
When rescue teams failed, residents took the initiative, bringing heavy machinery and continuing excavation at the site.
According to reports, a trash picker claimed to have personally retrieved Ibrahim’s body from the drain and handed it over to authorities.
Reporters: Rao Dilshad Hussain and Mushtaq Bhutta