6-yr-old boy drowns while bathing in Greater Noida fountain

The police said they were alerted at 3.50 pm by a resident who had spotted a child’s hand in the fountain. “We rushed the child to Yatharth Hospital. But the doctors declared him dead on arrival,” said an officer.

The boy’s mother, Ruchi, who works as a domestic help said that her husband, Subhash, was out for work when Prithvi returned home after school around 2 pm. “I had gone to see my sister-in-law who was hospitalised. Around 4 pm, I got a call about my son’s condition,” she added.

Ruchi said that Prithvi had a hole in his heart and was undergoing treatment at the AIIMS.

The Residents Welfare Association (RWA) of Sector P3 blamed GNIDA for the accident. “This fountain, built at a huge cost, was not being maintained. It has never worked and was filthy. The deeper area of the fountain often gets filled with water. It was full today, leading to the child’s death,” said Amit Bhati, the RWA secretary of Sector P3.

GNIDA officials, meanwhile, said that the reasons behind the accident are being investigated and strict action would be taken against those found guilty. “This is a very tragic incident. My deep condolences towards the bereaved family. We will ensure that the incident is not repeated in the future,” said Gunja Singh, Officer on Special Duty, GNIDA.

The police said Prithvi’s family originally belonged to Shahjahanpur district in Uttar Pradesh and lived in a rented house at D Block. “Subhash works in a packaging factory. The couple had three children and Prithvi was the eldest,” said an officer.