CHENNAI: A day after 24-year-old school teacher Sarala died after falling into a dug-up pit in T Nagar, Chennai Corporation seems to have woken up to the death traps lurking all over the city. The civic body has identified at least 200 such pits across the city and has ordered them to be immediately barricaded and taped. “We have identified 200 open pits across the city and have passed instructions to zonal officials to immediately barricade them and also cordon-off the dug up area with tapes,” a Corporation spokesperson told Express. “The work is in progress now. By tonight, we will put up the warning sign boards to warn people to stay away from such spots.”Officials in-charge of executing the task said they had received the freshly printed signboards reading “Pit is open, Do not go near”, printed in big red letters in Tamil. “By tonight, we will put up the boards at all dug up stretches.”When asked what action has been taken after the teacher’s death, the spokesperson said they were waiting for the medical and the police investigation reports. “Depending upon them, further action will be taken,” the spokesperson said.Meanwhile, the Pondy Bazaar police have altered the case from Section 174 (unnatural death) to Section 304-A (accident).Deputy Commissioner of Police (T Nagar) M Ashok Kumar told Express that the “negligent act on the part of the people who were responsible for closing the pit” had led to the alteration of the section under which the case would now be investigated. He said the investigating team would go through official records in order to fix responsibility for the incident. “Most likely, it is the contractors and they will be questioned,” the DCP said. “However, we have not made any arrests so far.”Government Royapettah Hospital sources said the autopsy showed that it was a “case of drowning”, with the victim’s trachea filled with water and mud. There were no external or internal injuries. The viscera had been sent for chemical analysis, they added.
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