Naveen S Garewal 
Tribune News Service 
Hyderabad, June 6 

 Open drain has taken the life of a seven-year-old boy in Hyderabad. The tragedy happened late last night in the Bowenpally area after workers left a drain open after cleaning work. Due to darkness Anand Sai accidentally slipped and fell into the gutter and drowned. The incident took place around 9:40 pm. 

The absence of the boy was discovered and when some passers-by noticed the boy shouting for help. It took about three hours for the boy to be taken out, by which time he was already dead. People said all efforts to retrieve the boy failed as the water flow in the drain was heavy due to the rain. 

Bowenpally Inspector K Ravi Kumar said the body was retrieved around 12.30 am with the joint effort of the police and firefighters. He said a case had been registered against Ramu contractor for negligence under section 304 part II (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. 

Residents have accused the Secunderabad Cantonment Board of negligence, saying that no wall was erected around the drain before other maintenance and construction was undertaken last month. The locals said that they had warned the contractor and the local councilor of the danger, but they ignored the warning.  

Open drains pose a considerable danger in monsoon seas as they are left open to facilitate water flow. A 12-year-old girl had fallen into an open drain in a similar incident while cycling in Neredmet, Hyderabad. Though initially suspected that the girl could have been abducted, her body was found a day later in a lake 2 km away.