Rescue operations continue to save boy stuck in Tamil Nadu borewell
Tiruchirappalli: Rescue operations continued for the third day on Sunday to bring out a three-old boy, who fell into an abandoned borewell near here, as special prayers were held across the Tamil Nadu for the safe return of the child.
State Health and Family Welfare Minister C Vijayabaskar and Tourism Minister 'Vellamandi' N Nagarajan, who have been camping at the site since Friday night, said all efforts were on to rescue the child.
Celebrities and politicians also joined thousands of people in praying for the well being of the boy.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a tweet said, "While the nation celebrates Deepavali, in Tamil Nadu a race agaisnt time is underway to save baby Surjeeth, who has been trapped in a borewell since Friday.
I pray that he will be rescued and reunited with his distraught parents at the earliest." Tamil Superstar Rajinikanth and Actor-politician Kamal Hassan also expressed hope that the boy would be safely rescued. Speaking to reporters at his residence here, Rajinikanth said, "I pray for the safe rescue of the boy."
"Parents should take care of children and precautionery measures should have been taken," he said. Actor-politician Kamal Haasan expressed concern over repeated incidents of children falling into defunct borewells.
"Efforts to rescue the child who is in danger should succeed. The government should impose hefty fine on those who left borewells open," he tweeted.
The boy had fallen into the borewell on Friday while playing near his house and rescue operations had started around 6 p.m. Initially the boy was stuck at a depth of 35 feet but later drifted further to over 90 feet.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters, Principal Secretary, Revenue Administration, Disaster Management and Mitigation department, J Radhakrishnan said modern equipment were being used in the rescue efforts.
Noting that standard operating procedures were being followed, he said, "a parallel borewell is being dug.. efforts are on .. We have a technical team at the spot comprising officials from L&T, ONGC, Neyveli Lignite Corporation."
"The Chief Minister has issued orders to ensure that rescue efforts were carried out without any hindrance," he said adding around 300 people were involved in the work.
The boy was continuously monitored and oxygen supplied to him, he added.
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K'taka bypolls: Bagalkot records 43.75 per cent turnout till 1 pm, 37.17 pc in Davanagere South
Bengaluru (PTI): At least 43.75 per cent of voters in Karnataka's Bagalkot, where polling for a by-election is underway, exercised their franchise by 1 pm on Thursday.
Davanagere South recorded a turnout of 37.17 per cent, the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office said.
The bypolls were necessitated due to the demise of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti (Bagalkot) and Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere South).
While the ruling Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP is aiming to wrest them and deliver a setback to its rival, which is currently witnessing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
A total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at around 319 polling stations in Bagalkot, where nine candidates are in the fray.
In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters are expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress has given tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Samarth's father, S S Mallikarjun, is a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet and in charge of Davanagere district, while his mother, Prabha Mallikarjun, is a Member of Parliament from the region.
The BJP is looking to make gains in the bypolls and energise its cadre ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. For the Congress, retaining both seats is crucial, as a loss could be seen as a negative verdict on the performance of the Siddaramaiah-led government.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, H Y Meti defeated BJP's Charantimath by a margin of 5,878 votes in Bagalkot, while Shivashankarappa defeated BJP's B G Ajay Kumar by 27,888 votes in Davanagere South.
