When BBMP JCB operator Shantakumar was washed away in a storm water drain, his relatives had only one desperate plea to make – at least let us see his face one last time. Two days later, it seems the authorities are unable to even grant this one small request.
48 hours after Shantakumar fell into a storm water drain in Kurubarahalli, search operations are still on.
On Sunday, 45 firefighters, 300 BBMP workers, 13 JCB earthmovers and 7 Hitachi machines were deployed to look for Shantakumar.
Late on Sunday night, a man named Sajid, who was walking by the bridge being constructed by the Public Works Department in Kambhipura, informed the police that he had spotted a body floating in the storm water drain below the bridge.
Following the tip off, rescue personnel were moved to Kengeri, Hampapura, and Kumbalagodu up to Byramangala lake, where the storm water drain ends.
According to the Palike’s Additional Engineer, Siddegowda, a team of 10 BBMP workers were deployed at every dipper till the Byramangala stretch to look for Shantakumar.
However, by Monday afternoon, rescuers still could not spot Shantakumar’s body. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel were then deployed to look for Shantakumar.
However, the search operations that began at 9am on Monday ended at 6 pm, with there still being no sign of Shantakumar.
The Palike now plans to deploy drones for the search. “We will deploy drones to look for Shantakumar tomorrow. We will not give up until we find him,” Siddegowda told TNM.
Shatakumar is not the first person to be washed away in a storm water drain. There have been several cases before, and none of the victims have survived.
On April 23, 2011, 16-year-old Manikanta had died after being washed away in a storm water drain in Nayandahalli.
On September 13, 2013, 52-year-old Sampangi Ramareddy had fallen into a rajakaluve in Dairy Circle.
A supporting actor in Kannada films, Ashok, died in a storm water drain in Sunkenahalli on December 15, 2013.
A nine-year-old girl, Lakshmi, fell into a storm water drain in Belakalahalli on October 6, 2014. Her body was later found floating in the Madiwala Lake.
On August 8, 2015, a 15-year-old boy, Prakash was washed away in a storm water drain behind Manyata Tech Park.
Not very long ago, on March 1, 2017, a seven-year-old boy, Rakesh, fell into a storm water drain in Ullal and died.