Punjab CM Orders Arrests After Mother, Daughter Die in Open Manhole
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz orders arrests and suspensions after tragic death of a woman and her baby in an uncovered Lahore manhole.
Ateeq Ur Rehman
LAHORE, Pakistan: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has ordered the arrest of key project officials and suspended the entire team handling the Data Darbar extension works after a 24-year-old woman and her 10-month-old daughter died when they fell into an uncovered manhole near Bhatti Gate, officials said on Thursday.
The victims, identified as Sadia and her daughter Rida Fatima, had arrived from Shorkot to visit the famous Data Darbar shrine when the tragic incident occurred Wednesday evening. According to police and rescue sources, the pair slipped into the open sewer shaft, part of the Data Darbar revamp project, after stepping off a rickshaw.
Rescue 1122 teams launched an overnight operation, eventually recovering Sadia’s body near Outfall Road around 1am and her daughter’s remains in Saggian some 17 hours later. Officials said turbulent sewerage flow likely carried the bodies far from the accident site.
In response, CM Maryam convened an emergency briefing upon her return to Lahore, lambasting government departments, including the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) for “criminal negligence.” She directed authorities to arrest the contractor’s project manager, safety in-charge and site in-charge, and ordered Rs10 million in compensation for the bereaved family.
Tribune reported that senior officials, including the project director and manager, were dismissed and detained on her orders, while the province’s police chief was tasked with submitting a compliance report.
Dawn reported the government went further by suspending the entire Traffic Engineering & Transport Planning Agency team tied to the project. Names include the project director, deputy and assistant directors, and other supervisory staff.
Maryam also blasted authorities for earlier confusing statements about the rescue, saying misleading information would not be tolerated and that open pits must be secured province-wide to prevent further deaths.
The local police registered a manslaughter FIR, and while initial doubts and allegations against the victim’s husband surfaced, investigators later confirmed evidence pointed to accidental death due to negligence.
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