Drowning: police case against contractor

A police case was registered after two boys from the Asalpha village drowned in a ten foot trench dug by contractors for the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar metro line. The boys,identified as Dattatray Parekar (11) and Pratap Parekar (9),both residents of Parab chawl in Asalpha at Saki Naka had been staying with their uncle as their parents were out of town. On Saturday morning,on their way back from tuition classes,they stopped by the edge of the trench and decided to take a swim. They jumped in the water before realising that it was quite deep.

When they raised an alarm and people brought the incident to the notice of the authorities,the water from the trench was drained and the bodies of the two boys was recovered. The boys were rushed to a hospital where they were declared dead.

Both the MMRDA and Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) said enough security precautions had been taken to avoid such mishaps. “A case has been registered. We will carry out an inquiry independently and take necessary action,” said Dilip Kawathkar,spokesperson,MMRDA.

“We will take all measures to prevent trespassing in future,including taking help from the police,if required. We have decided to put nylon nets at all those pile-caps which are deep,this will ensure that even if there is trespassing no injury will take place. Local population will also be counseled to prevent such unauthorised entry and help will be sought to be on a lookout and to inform us immediately,” said a MMOPL spokesperson.