The pond at Nigdi octroi post has grown in size

PUNE, OCT 15: A nine-year-old boy Yuvraj Anna Gaikwad, a resident of Siddharthnagar slums near Nigdi otta scheme was drowned in a small p...

PUNE, OCT 15: A nine-year-old boy Yuvraj Anna Gaikwad, a resident of Siddharthnagar slums near Nigdi otta scheme was drowned in a small pond in the premises of the octroi post of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.

The tragedy, which occured last Sunday, could have been much worse had few other slum children who were playing with Yuvraj also attempted to swim in the pond which was created after rain water collected in a big pit at the premises of the octroi post. In fact Yuvraj’s cousin, Anil Harishchandra Gaikwad was saved from drowning in the pond.

The pit was formed after a contractor, who was alloted the work of land filling for the PCMC’s Bhakti-Shakti project, transported soil from the premises of the octroi post. Work for the Bhakti-Shakti project is in progress right opposite the octroi post. According to PCMC executive engineer V S Mahadik, the contractor was allowed to transport soil from the octroi premises as the work had to be completed in a short time.

Yuvraj’s parents are casual laborers. Yuvraj was one of their six children. When the parents were out for work, all the slum children played around. And it was while playing with other kids, Yuvraj and his cousin Anil strayed into the pond Sunday afternoon.

After violence, Ladakh talks back on track, resume Oct 22

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Ladakh civil society groups will resume talks with the Centre on October 22, following a judicial probe into the September 24 violence in Leh ordered by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The probe will be conducted by a former Supreme Court judge, while the meeting will address Ladakh's demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule status.

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