Over 150 personnel engaged in the operation
Geethalakshmi, who fell into a drain at Bilekahalli on Monday night, has not been found at the end of the 18-hour search operation. More than 150 personnel from Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, Police Department, Karnataka Civil Defence and National Disaster Response Force are involved in the rescue operations that eventually turned into a search operation.
Till 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday, the search operation was conducted in the 1.3-km stretch of the storm water drain at Bilekahalli and called off after the last check-point of the drain was opened. “Our men entered the tunnel near the end of the drain and combed it for the body. We are certain that the child’s body is nowhere in this stretch,” said P.R.S. Chetan, Officer Commanding, Karnataka Civil Defence. He said that the water-level in the drain, which had initially been about 1 ft high, had increased to around 3 ft after a heavy downpour. “We have opened certain points in the drain as part of the search operation. It is now up to the BBMP to check the open drains and we will assist them, if required,” he added.
The drain in which Geethalakshmi fell is a tertiary drain that is connected to a 12-ft wide secondary storm water drain. This secondary drain has a double-vent system where vents are situated every 40 feet and these are being dug up to find the girl’s body. There is also a sanitary lane along this same stretch which is also being dug open as part of the search operations.
Officials started searching for the girl on Monday soon after she fell into the drain on Bannerghatta Road. The rescue operations ended at 3 a.m. on Tuesday and resumed at 7.45 a.m. The fire and emergency services personnel also threw in an anchor chain into the water to see if the body could be recovered.
Five National Disaster Response Force personnel went inside the secondary drain with breathing apparatus. S. Francis, one among them, said that they combed the drain carefully. “The drain has been combed thoroughly, both from the point where the child fell and the end point leading to Madiwala tank bed,” he said. To minimise the risk to personnel engaged in the work, the plan for the rescue operations was redrawn. “To ensure the release of noxious gases, the road has been cut in about 20 places. Since it is a closed drain, the rescue personnel are being cautious while proceeding further,” Mr. Chetan said.
Compensation
BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayana said that the search operations would continue till the child is traced. “We have combed around two-km stretch of the drain. Without the body being found, we cannot announce any compensation,” he said.
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