Nipa Flyover Incident; Officials suspended, high-level committee to probe Karachi child’s manhole death

A tragic incident in Karachi has forced the Sindh government to take strict action. On Wednesday, the Sindh Local Government Department suspended several officials after a three-year-old boy died by falling into an open manhole in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, near the Nipa flyover.

High-Level Action After Meeting

The suspensions came soon after Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah held a meeting on the case. He reviewed the mistakes that led to the child’s death.

According to the suspension orders, the officers removed from duty include:

• Imran Ahmed Rajput, Senior Director Municipal Services (KMC)

• Rashid Fayyaz, Assistant Executive Engineer (TMC Gulshan-e-Iqbal)

• Waqar Ahmed, Executive Engineer (Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation)

• Aamir Ali Shah, Assistant Commissioner Gulshan-e-Iqbal

• Salman Farsi, Mukhtiarkar Gulshan-e-Iqbal

The government acted after strong criticism on social media. People blamed poor governance and failure to cover dangerous manholes.

How the Tragedy Happened

The child fell into an uncovered manhole on Sunday night. Residents said the lid had been missing for many days. The boy was the only child of his parents.

Locals arranged machinery with their own money and tried to rescue him. Many eyewitnesses said government teams reached the spot very late. After 14 hours, the child’s body was recovered on Monday morning.

Police Form Inquiry Committee

Karachi police formed a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the incident. The committee is led by Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho.

It includes:

• SSP East DIG Admin Ahmed Nawaz Cheema

• SSP Investigation Central Anum Tajammul

The team visited the child’s home and started recording statements. The inquiry report will be submitted after completion.

BRT Management Issues Clarification

The BRT project management rejected blame placed on them. They said the incident site was far from their construction work. They added that there was no digging or excavation in that area.

They also stated that the BRT project is not responsible for maintaining the drainage or sewerage system. Any earlier excavation near the location was around 300 meters away.

KMC Report Points to Multiple Faults

On the other hand, the KMC report blamed both the Red Line BRT project and a nearby department store. The report said the BRT work damaged the drainage lines running from Nipa to Aziz Bhatti Park.

Mayor Murtaza Wahab Visits the Family

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab met the bereaved family in Shah Faisal Colony. He said he wanted to go “beyond blame” and take responsibility.

He promised a transparent inquiry and strict action against those who failed in their duty. He also admitted that the government response was slow at the time of the incident.

The mayor said new measures will be taken to stop such tragedies in the future.