As a massive search continued for an 18-month-old boy who slipped and fell into an open storm water drain and was swept away on Wednesday night. An insensitive Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar on Thursday put his foot in the mouth by blaming Mumbaikars for keeping gutters open at many places in the metropolis.
The baby boy, identified as Divyashu Dhansi, was swept away in the swollen waters after he fell accidentally into a side gutter at Ambedkar chowk at Goregaon in north Mumbai at 10.24 pm on Wednesday, while he was playing outside his house,
The incident happened in the midst of heavy rains that lashed the metropolis for most of Wednesday night.
Divyanshu’s father claimed that the gutter had been kept open for the last four years for reasons best known to the civic administration.
Following the incident, the fire brigade officials and local people launched a massive search for Divanshu. They checked four spots like Ambedkar Chowk, Pravasi Chowk, St Thomas High School and Goptewadi till the early hours of Thursday.
Despite the search having continued for more 22 hours, there was no trace of Divyanshu till late on Thursday evening.
A video clip of the incident that Divyanshu playing outside his house and later walking an electrical enclosure box before falling into an open drain went viral in the social media.
Divyashu’s parents said that they realised that their son might have fallen into the open gutter after spotting his slipper next to it
Mumbai Mayor Mahadeshwar faced the ire of the local residents, when he visited the mishap site and met the missing toddler’s parents.
Talking to a television channel, Mahadeshwar stirred up the hornet’s nest by laying the blame for the open gutter at the Mumbaikars’ door.
“Last night’s incident was an unfortunate one. The drain was open only at one place. I have ordered an inquiry into the incident to ascertain whether the local people had broken the drainage cover or the authorities had not installed cover on the drain. Mostly the covers of the drains remain closed in Mumbai,”Mahadeshwar said.
“It is the responsibility of both the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Mumbaikars to ensure against recurrence of mishaps like the one we witnessed last night. Mumbaikars lack civic sense. Many a time local people open or break the cover of the open drain to throw garbage into it. As much is the BMC, vigilant citizens are also responsible for keeping the gutters open," the Mayor said.