JOIN USSearch for Viji's body called off
The boy has been declared untraceable, a grim reminder of the fate that befell six-year-old Abhishek in May.
The search for 18-month-old Viji ended on Friday afternoon following the rains that lashed the City for more than an hour. The Fire and Emergency Services Department stated that the search was called off at around 3.30 pm with no signs of the body in the drains and two sq km of Madivala lake.
“We worked towards it during our search operations on day one. A thorough search of the entire vicinity was done on day two, but no evidence of the body was available. On Friday, we hoped that the body could be found, but in vain,” informed Deputy Director, Fire and Emergency Services, B K Hamppagol.
There was a ray of hope on Friday morning when a small blockage was found in the drains leading to the Madivala lake. But there was despair after using the compressor machine to clear the blockage as it was clear that the 18-month toddler was lost forever.
Meanwhile, as a contingency, the BBMP will now be initiating three member teams to keep an eye for the boy’s body from the accident spot to the Madivala lake.
Encroachment clearence
BBMP has identified the culprit- the encroachers of the storm water drain. Had there not been an encroachment of the storm water drain, the incident would not have taken place, said the BBMP in a press release. A case has been registered against the encroacher.
BBMP Commissioner Bharatlal Meena, who visited the spot on Friday, has directed the demolition of all illegal structures on the storm water drain.
He also said that the BBMP will identify such sensitive areas and would fence them to avoid such incidents in future.
DH News Service