Woman scooterist falls into 15-ft sewerage pit in Odisha capital; hospitalised

Bhubaneswar: A woman scooterist was injured after she fell into a pit dug by the Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) to lay a sewerage line in the capital city here yesterday.

The incident took place at Shivnagar under Ward no. 58 of the city.

The woman scooterist, identified as Geetanjali Acharya, fell into the 15-feet-deep pit while she was travelling to a nearby school to pick her son at around 3.30 pm yesterday, sources said.

“The WATCO has dug the pit on the main street of Shivnagar to lay the sewerage line. However, the authorities did not put barricades around the pit. The woman along with her scooter fell into the pit after she lost control over the vehicle while negotiating the narrow road. She sustained injuries on her waist, hands and other parts of the body,” said a local.

The employees of a private agency roped in by the WATCO escaped from the spot leaving the injured woman, sources added. Some locals rescued the injured woman and rushed her to a nearby hospital.

The locals, meanwhile, blamed the WATCO for the mishap and sought action against the authorities concerned.

“The WATCO has been doing the sewerage line work at Shivnagar for last several years. The project work is moving at a snail’s pace. We are facing severe inconveniences due to the callousness of the WATCO officials,” said another local.