[GROUND REPORT] Mumbai: Over 30 hours on, toddler who fell in open Goregaon drain still missing

Mumbai: A one-and-a-half-year-old boy who fell into an open drain in Mumbai on Thursday, July 11 has not been rescued yet. Even after 30 hours, rescue teams have not been able to trace the toddler. The incident took place at around 9:45 am and was captured on the CCTV camera installed near the area. 

After the incident came to light, rescue teams of the fire department, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have made repeated attempts to find the missing minor. 

The drain in which the toddler has fallen is about 15 kilometres long. The fire department officials have claimed that they have checked the entire stretch but have not been able to find the toddler. In the CCTV footage, the minor can be seen walking on the main road and when he turns around to return to his house, he slips and falls into the drain that was overflowing.

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Distraught family members of the toddler blamed the BMC for the incident and said that the drain has been open for the past four years. The toddler's family said that the civic body did not cover the drain even after repeated complaints. The family alleged that even though the drain overflows every monsoon, no step has been taken by the authorities to close it. 

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The toddler's father said that the police have detained his friend Shravan Kumar who had been helping them. The father accused the administration of inaction and said that he had not received any update about the status of his son's rescue operation. He stated that he would call in a protest if the rescue teams are unable to locate his son by 12 noon today. This is a developing story. 

Questions have been raised on the efficiency of the BMC as instances of collapsing walls and bridges have made national headlines this year. Even after repeated incidents, the BMC has not been able to devise methods to strengthen the infrastructure in the city.