Poor enforcement of safety norms during infra work raises concerns

Patna: Two children recently died in separate incidents in Patna’s Naubatpur and Phulwarisharif after falling into open drainage structures, exposing a gap between civic safety mandates and the ground reality. While municipal guidelines require agencies to use steel mesh, reflective tapes and barricades at work sites, these protocols largely remain on paper. The absence of active monitoring by civic bodies allows contractors to leave pits and chambers exposed to pedestrians. The deaths underline a systemic failure in enforcing safety standards during ongoing infrastructure work across the city. The capital, regarded as a model for the rest of the state, itself fails to adhere to safety protocols when it comes to open drains, manholes and pits.

The daily experiences of residents reflect this lack of oversight. Prabhas Kumar, a resident of Khemnichak, said, “An open drain work has been going on in my area for over a month with barely any light around. It proves to be dangerous because barricading is done by a single piece of bamboo, which is unsteady and unsafe.”


In other neighbourhoods, such hazards have persisted for years without intervention. Dilip Kumar, a resident of Ramkrishna Nagar, said, “For over two years, an open manhole is there in my locality, where children play, and it is very unsafe. Four-wheelers often get stuck there. We complained to our ward councillor regarding this issue six months back, but it is still not resolved.”

Even high-traffic commercial zones are not exempt from these risks. Ranjit Kumar, a shopkeeper near Patna Junction with his shop located next to a large open drain, said, “The work was constantly going on for two months; however, after the work stopped, there are no guards or mesh laid on it. This is one of the main roads with absolutely no safety.”

Despite the prescribed list of safety requirements, no part of Patna appears free from such hazards, from VIP areas like Boring Road to localities such as Rajiv Nagar, Shastrinagar and Jakkhanpur, among others.

The administrative response indicates a fragmented system of responsibility. Ward councillor Ashish Kumar Sinha said, “We regularly receive complaints regarding open drains and manholes and quickly try to resolve the issues. The problem is that all departments and even private agencies dig up the roads and keep open pits, but when it comes to complaining, people only blame the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC). To streamline work, only one department should be in charge of this.”

Former deputy mayor Vinay Kumar Pappu added, “PMC lacks manpower, funds, and independence, which is why there are loopholes when it comes to ensuring safety in such situations.”

Further, new administrative hurdles have complicated the pace of repairs. Indradeep Kumar Chandravanshi, a ward councillor, said, “Earlier, if any such complaints were brought to notice within our wards, we took care of them personally, but now certain govt protocols regarding e-tendering need to be followed, which delays the process of covering manholes or repairing open drains.”

It is mandatory for all organisations and civic bodies to install reflective strips, barricades and steel mesh around open drains, pits and manholes. The challenge lies in the implementation of these safety protocols and the hazards arising from non-compliance, compounded by the difficulty of tracking excavation and reconstruction work across a city as large as Patna.