Man dies after falling into open drain in Cuttack; locals allege official apathy

In an unfortunate incident, a man reportedly died by falling into an open drain at Mahima Nagar area under CRRI police station in Cuttack on Thursday.

The deceased has been identified as a resident of Jajpur. He was working as a mason in Cuttack.

As per reports, slabs have been removed and the drain is left open for the ongoing construction work in the area. As a result, the victim fell on the narrow drain with one foot width while returning to his residence in the evening after finishing his work. 

His body was recovered from the narrow drain on Thursday morning. After finding the body floating in the drain, locals informed the police who eventually recovered the body.

Following the death of the person, tension prevailed in the area as local people expressed their resentment over the development. They alleged that such incidents are frequently happening due to the lackadaisical attitude of the administration.

“Thousands of people along with school and college children depend on the road everyday for communication. However, the condition of the road is dangerous. A valuable life was lost due to the open drains in the area,” said a local resident.

“The drain has been left open for more than a month now. The contractor is saying that he can’t carry out the work any further for the time being as the model code of conduct has been announced. If it was the case, why did he commence the work at a time when the 2024 General Election is round the corner and left the road in a shoddy condition?” asked another local resident.

“Though the drain has been left open for around a month and commuters are facing a lot of trouble, the district administration and the Municipality body are not paying any attention to the ordeal of the people,” he added.

However, no reaction from the CMC officials and the concerned contractor could be obtained in this regard.

Notably, these kinds of tragic incidents are repeatedly happening in Cuttack. However, as per the allegation of the local people, the administration is not taking any major steps to sort out the issue.