New Delhi, Feb 11 (NationPress) Just a few days after a biker tragically lost his life due to a fall into an open pit in Janakpuri, a new tragedy has struck the national capital. A labourer lost his life after tumbling into an uncovered manhole in the Begumpur locality of Rohini Sector 32, according to police reports on Wednesday.

The victim has been identified as 27-year-old Birju, hailing from Samastipur district in Bihar. Authorities stated that the sewer cover was reportedly left open on a vacant plot owned by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

Police officials received a call at the Begumpur Police Station around 2:36 p.m. on Tuesday, informing them that someone might have fallen into a sewer. A second alert came in at around 4 p.m., prompting immediate action from the police.

Amir Hussain, who reported the incident, mentioned that his friend Birju Kumar had fallen into the open manhole on Monday night.

Another labourer, Budhan Das, recounted that he and Birju had been drinking alcohol on Monday evening and were on their way back to their jhuggi around 7:30 p.m. when Birju lost his footing and fell into the uncovered sewer.

Budhan confessed that he didn’t notify anyone right away due to his intoxication but later disclosed the incident after sobering up.

Local residents have raised alarms about serious negligence from authorities, claiming that emergency response was delayed.

"While we were returning in the evening, one of them fell in. There was no cover on the sewer, and not just here but along the entire road. The lids were only placed after the incident. I called, and only then did the rescue officials arrive," an eyewitness told IANS.

Another bystander highlighted the poor infrastructure and lack of lighting in the area.

"There are no street lights here, and the drains remain open. It’s so dark that anyone could fall in. The labourer was missing since Monday afternoon, and when people searched for him, they found his slipper, revealing he had fallen into the open drain," the eyewitness mentioned.

Expressing frustration, another local resident stated, "The administration is to blame. Anyone can fall into these open drains. The drains were only covered after the incident occurred. Our kids often take this route. What if they had fallen? The administration needs to take responsibility."

Following the complaint, police confirmed that the fire brigade, DDA, and other relevant agencies were alerted, initiating a rescue operation.

Birju’s body was later retrieved from the manhole with the help of fire brigade personnel and sent to a hospital for further legal procedures.

Authorities confirmed that an investigation into the matter is currently in progress.

This incident occurred shortly after another unfortunate event in Delhi, where Kamal Dhyani, an assistant manager at HDFC Bank's Rohini branch, lost his life last week when his motorcycle reportedly fell into a deep pit that the Delhi Jal Board had dug for sewer work and left inadequately secured.