There are 600 "booby-trap" open manholes in Hyderabad city, which trap the innocent children to death, says a survey conducted by the district government recently.
According to reports, seven children have lost their lives till date and the last victim was an 18-month old baby, who was fallen in manhole and died on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr. The incident moved the public, who launched a strong protest, demanding that the death traps should be closed to ensure safety to teenagers.
The district Nazim, taking instant notice of the incident, constituted an enquiry and directed the Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) officials to conduct a survey of open manholes in the city and cover the same without further delay.
He was informed that around 3,400 manholes were covered under the directives of the Chief Minister earlier, but many of the covers were stolen later and now a fresh order had already been placed to Karachi-based firm for supply of 1,000 cover on top priority bases.
The district Nazim advised the HDA officials and union council Nazims to keep strict vigil against the thieves of manhole cover.
The HDA officials assured the district Nazim that those open manholes would be covered within few days to avoid any incident in future.