Mohali administration to seal abandoned tubewells

Tribune News Service

Mohali, June 16

Following the tragic incident in which two-year-old Fatehveer Singh died after falling into an open borewell, the Mohali administration has issued directions for sealing over 70 abandoned tubewells in the district.

Mohali Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan said 12 borewells in the district that were in the knowledge of the administration were filled and covered immediately after the incident. “Thereafter, we had sought details about tubewells and borewells from the Tubewell Corporation here,” he said.

The corporation had been asked to seal the tubewells immediately so that no such incident took place, Dayalan said.

District officials said according to the Supreme Court guidelines, unused borewells and tubewells were required to be filled up with sand or earth and their openings were to be sealed permanently. “As an immediate safety measure, we are first sealing the openings. The borewells will be filled up later,” Dayalan said.

In addition, steps are also being taken to cover all open manholes and sewerage pits that may pose a danger to human life. Officials have been asked to carry out a survey and identify all such spots at the earliest.