Boy drowns in pit dug up in school playground

CHENNAI: A 10-year-old boy drowned after he fell into a 20-ft pit dug up at the playground of a government school in Selaiyur on Tuesday. The pit was reportedly made for setting up a pumping station as part of an underground sewage system.  According to the police, on Tuesday morning, Saravanan (10) of Raja Iyer Street, Selaiyur, and his brother Satish (3), accompanied by three friends, went to the Government Higher Secondary School to play. Schools in Kancheepuram were closed on Tuesday on account of the Adipuram festival.  Saravanan, a Class V student, had gone to wash himself with the rainwater that filled in the 20-ft deep pit when he slipped and fell into it.The boys, who were shocked to see Saravanan struggling in the water, ran to the boy’s mother Premadevi, seeking help.  By the time Premadevi could mobilise help and come to the rescue of the boy, Saravanan had drowned.  His body was later sent to the Chromepet Government Hospital.Police said that the pit was dug up for a pumping station in the school playground as part of the Underground Sewage Scheme. “Since the residents raised their voice against the construction and later got a stay order from the court, the construction was stopped and the place was abandoned,” said Selaiyur police inspector Selvaraj.Ever since the construction stopped, people were using the spot as a public toilet. The cops also blamed the public for removing barricades that were put up around the pit.‘No Precautionary Measures’ Meanwhile, residents alleged that no precautionary measures were put in place for the digging work.  They also claimed that in some places, gelatin sticks were used to break sub-soil rocks during the digging process. In one such recent incident, a boy reportedly lost vision after a gelatin stick exploded at Ananthapuram, Selaiyur.  In another incident in the area, an autorickshaw ferrying a family fell into a pit that was dug up for the same purpose.  The family, however, escaped with only minor  injuries.