Hyderabad: Negligence of contractor leads to death of 8-year-old

HYDERABAD: Negligence of a contractor, who was hired by the NHAI for the construction of a stormwater drain at Kothur in Rangareddy district, cost an eight-year-old girl her life on Saturday evening. Jhanvi Singh, who was playing near the site, accidentally fell into a channel dug for the drain and drowned. 

Had the contractor manned the site, the mishap could have been averted, said the police. Kothur Inspector M Bhoopal Sridhar said that a case has been registered against the contractor on charges of causing death due to negligence.

The NHAI had taken up the construction of an underpass on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru National Highway at Penjarla over a year ago, tenders for which were given to the contractor in question. The stormwater drain was being constructed as part of the project. 

The victim, Jhanvi, who lived in the neighbourhood, was playing with a friend on Saturday evening when the mishap occurred. The children approached the construction site, which was unmanned and had no signboards. Unaware of the pit, Jhanvi fell right into it.

Her friend rushed home and informed her parents, who pulled Jhanvi out and took her to a hospital. However, she was declared dead by the doctors at the hospital.

Based on a complaint filed by Jhanvi’s father Shyam Kumar, the police registered a case against the contractor.