UP: 10-year-old boy dies after falling into open pit in municipal land in Baghpat
Baghpat (UP) (PTI): A 10-year-old boy died after falling into an open water-filled pit dug for a sewer in a municipal land here, officials said on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening in the Barka Road area of Baraut town. The deceased, identified as Irshad, son of Shamshad, was playing nearby when he accidentally fell into the deep pit.
Family members and locals rushed to the spot and tried to rescue him, but he could not be saved.
They alleged negligence, saying that the pit had been left uncovered during ongoing construction work without any safety measures.
According to them, the land belongs to the municipal body and construction of a marriage hall was underway, during which the water-filled pit had been dug and left open.
Executive Officer of the municipality, Manoj Rastogi, said the land is government-owned, and a marriage hall is being constructed there through the minority welfare department.
He added that an inquiry has been ordered and action will be taken against those responsible if negligence is found.
Circle Officer Baraut Anshu Jain said the construction work was being carried out by a private builder, and the pit had been dug for a sewer.
Police said no formal complaint has been received so far, and further legal action will be taken once a complaint is lodged.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
