GUWAHATI, June 9 (PTI): A day after a schoolgirl was run over by a bus while trying to negotiate a ditch in the middle of a road here, the district administration on Friday stopped all works in the city that involved digging.
Priya Kumari, a class 11 student of Little Flower School, was killed when the bus ran her over after she fell off a scooter she was riding pillion on way to school in Ganeshguri here on Thursday morning.
CCTV footage of a nearby campus later showed that the bus was trying to avoid a ditch, dug for water supply scheme, leading to the fatal accident.
As the accident created a furore, Kamrup Metropolitan district deputy commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha directed PWD(R), Guwahati Jal Board, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd and Guwahati Smart City Ltd to immediately stop all kinds of digging works.
The departments have been told to barricade and put up signages outside the dug up trances.
“The departments and agencies are asked to submit compliance reports along with photographs within 24 hours to the undersigned without fail for continuation/resumption of work,” Jha, who is also the chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority, said.
The order said the instructions have been necessitated due to occurrence of several accidents recently due to the unprotected tranches/ potholes/open manholes, etc., causing loss of lives and property.
The ensuing monsoon season has also increased recurrence of such incidents manifold, the DC noted in the order.
Meanwhile, the women wing of Trinamool Congress (TMC) lodged a complaint against erring departments and agencies in Dispur Police Station regarding the accident.
The state unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has written to the AHRC seeking its intervention in the matter and held erring officials and departments accountable for it.