Bareilly municipal body seeks Rs 500cr to cover open drains after fatal accident

Bareilly: Days after a 30-year-old man died after falling into an open drain in Bareilly, the municipal corporation has announced plans to seek Rs 500 crore from the state govt to cover drains across the city.Municipal commissioner Sanjeev Kumar Maurya said an inquiry has been constituted to identify lapses that led to the incident. "We will propose that the state provide funds to cover these drains. It will cost Rs 300–500 crore and can be done in phases. Meanwhile, caution boards are being installed," he said.The incident occurred Tuesday night at the busy Satellite bus terminal in Baradari area, when Mohd Tauheed, 30, from Shahabad in Hardoi district, slipped into an uncovered drain around 9.30pm. His body was recovered nearly 30 hours later on Thursday after an extensive search involving 80 rescue workers.Police and municipal officials had launched a search operation around midnight but the drain's depth of around 15ft, along with heavy garbage accumulation and fast-flowing water, hampered their efforts. Locals said the drain had remained uncovered since a slab was damaged during a cleaning campaign last May. Transport department officials said they had flagged the issue to the municipal body, but no action was taken.