Man dies after falling into open drain in Puri, sparks anger among residents

A milkman identified as Bapi Choudhury tragically lost his life after falling into an uncovered drain in the Badadanda locality of Gajapati Nagar in Puri district, on Tuesday.

Eyewitnesses stated that milkman Bapi slipped and fell, becoming submerged face-first in the muddy drain, which led to his unfortunate death.

This incident has caused significant outrage among the local community, who criticised the Puri Municipality for not ensuring safety around the open drains.

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“As the drain was open and as my father (Bapi) fell into the drain face-first after he slipped by mistake, he died. I blame the municipality authorities for the fatal mishap. If the civic body will not take appropriate steps, then, we will be compelled to resort to the court of law,” the deceased’s son Aditya Choudhury expressed.

In response, the District Collector pledged to conduct a comprehensive survey of all open drains within the municipal limits. The Puri Municipality planned to cover the open drains with slabs, with the tendering process anticipated to conclude by December 30.

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“On being informed, a team reached the spot. That was a drain of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and there are some encroachments nearby. The civic body has been directed to immediately identify the open drains in the town,” Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said.

“Open drains will be closed with information to the Departments concerned. A tender has been floated and the tendering process will end by December 30,” the Collector added.