Girl survives fall in 9-ft-deep manhole

NEW DELHI: Call it a miracle. On Tuesday, 17-year-old Rashi Jain fell into a nine-feet-deep manhole, only to land on the shoulders of an MTNL employee working inside. Though seriously injured himself, MTNL staffer Hiralal helped Rashi to the surface, and she walked away from the spot only with minor bruises.
The incident took place when Rashi, a Class XI student of Vivekananda School in Anand Vihar, was returning home.She had barely stepped down from her school bus when she slipped and fell into the manhole which was being used by MTNL to maintain underground cables.
Manoj Khemka, who was waiting to pick up his son near the Navin Shahadra K-block crossing, witnessed the incident. "The girl arrived in her school bus around 2 pm. The driver seemed to be in a hurry. We warned the helper that the manholes were open as MTNL workers were carrying out repair jobs,'' he said.
Khemka added that there was not even a caution board near the site. "The driver must have misjudged the distance because he came and parked the vehicle right next to the manhole. As the girl climbed down with her heavy bag, she put her foot on the manhole cover, lost her balance and the next moment disappeared inside the manhole,'' he said.
Meanwhile, Hiralal received severe sprains on his feet and shoulder. "I felt something heavy fall on my shoulder. Luckily, I was standing on a small platform or else she would have fallen deeper and hit the many panels lining the sides,'' he said.
The MTNL site officer, meanwhile, defended his men. "We warned the bus driver. In fact, the rear wheels of the bus pushed the manhole cover from its original position. As a result, the girl lost her balance. It was an unfortunate incident but the driver is at fault,'' he claimed.
Rashi's relatives, however, said they were shocked that the manhole covers were left open despite the authorities knowing that schoolchildren frequent the area at that time.
The principal of Vivekananda School could not be contacted. An official of the school said they have not been informed about the incident.