‘Mishap was waiting to happen’: Scooterist falls into Ghaziabad drain; rescued | Noida News
GHAZIABAD: A scooterist had a narrow escape after he fell through a gaping culvert hole into a drain outside Gaur Gravity Mall in Indirapuram and was pulled out by guards before the muck sucked him in. The accident, which happened Sunday morning and became known on Thursday after CCTV footage of the fall emerged, was one waiting to happen, locals said.Drain covers on both sides of Kala Patthar Road, where the mall is located, were removed or broken to clean up drains before monsoon but not put back in place all these months, leaving the busy area prone to such mishaps.The mall management accused the corporation of negligence for not getting the drains covered. GMC, meanwhile, accused mall staffers of removing a barricade put around the culvert hole.
A 52-second clip, circulating on social media, shows the scooter sinking into the gaping 5-foot-wide hole as the rider tumbles into the chest-deep wastewater. Moments later, he emerges, visibly shaking, waving for help. Two children, who witnesses the fall, rushes to the mall to raise an alarm. Security guards arrive with a bamboo ladder borrowed from a nearby construction site and pulls the man out to safety. His scooter was retrieved later with the help of a crane. Rajendra, a guard at the mall, said the incident took place around 8.30 am on Aug 25. “The children came running, shouting that a man had fallen into the drain. We found him struggling in the water. When he finally climbed out, he was covered in filth, reeking, and had injuries on his neck and back. I remember his first words: ‘I am coming straight from hell’ (Narq se nikal kar aa raha hoon),” he said. While the identity of the victim remains unclear, Puneet Kumar, who oversees mall maintenance, said the injured man managed to call a crane driver to retrieve his vehicle. “The entire incident was recorded on CCTV. We helped him as much as possible. Fortunately, his injuries were not life-threatening,” Kumar said. The accident has renewed residents’ concerns over uncovered drains along the Kala Patthar stretch. In July, TOI had highlighted that the stretch, from NH-9 to Aditya Mall, has at least 22 open drains, some nearly six feet wide. “Such an incident was bound to happen,” VK Bhatnagar, a resident of Gaur Green City, located 1km from the spot, said. “This is not mere apathy but criminal negligence by GMC. The man was lucky he didn’t drown.” Another resident, Nirmalendu Mishra, said the video has left residents horrified. “Our children take this road daily to go to school. The drain is at least 12 feet deep. Imagine if it had been a child instead of an adult,” he said. Local councillor Preeti Jain echoed residents’ anger. “I have repeatedly written to GMC since the start of the monsoon to cover these drains, but nothing has been done. Their excuses about roadside vendors are unacceptable,” she said.Caught in the middle of the storm, GMC shifted blame to the mall management. A corporation official claimed the drain cover had been removed in late July to allow cleaning with an earthmover. “We barricaded the pit after the work, but the mall removed it. We have now put up barricades around the pit again,” the official said. The mall management, however, denied the allegation. “We never removed any barricade. And even if we accept GMC’s version, what about the two dozen other open drains on the stretch that they have left uncovered in the area? Those are equally dangerous,” said Kumar.
