Delhi biker’s death prompts PMC to secure open pits

Patna: The death of a 25-year-old biker in the national capital has sent shockwaves across the country and prompted the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) to step up efforts to secure open pits and construction sites under its jurisdiction, officials said, in a bid to prevent a similar tragedy in state capital.The move followed an incident in West Delhi’s Janakpuri on Thursday night, where one Kamal Dhyani died after his motorcycle fell into a 15-foot-deep pit dug by the Delhi Jal Board. The tragedy came just weeks after a software engineer lost his life after falling into a waterlogged pit in Noida. The recurrence of such infrastructure-related fatalities has led urban local bodies, including the PMC, to review existing safety protocols.PMC spokesperson Priya Saurabh said the civic body follows a strict policy against leaving hazardous sites unattended, given the serious risks they pose to citizens. “The PMC has established multiple channels for safety reporting, including a dedicated toll-free number and a WhatsApp chatbot where complaints can be raised and tracked. These reports are monitored by a central control room to ensure that once a complaint is logged, it is resolved within a mandatory 24-hour window,” she said.

Saurabh added that the oversight mechanism is not limited to complaints received from the public. She said the city has quick response teams (QRTs) in every circle, which remain in constant movement along with cleaning vehicles and ward nodal officers. Cleaning inspectors are tasked with identifying unreported open pits or lapses at construction sites during their routine rounds and issuing instant alerts to ensure immediate corrective action.On the issue of accountability, the spokesperson said the municipal commissioner treats any lapse in safety standards with seriousness, and stern action can be initiated against concerned officers or contractors if no valid justification for a delay is provided. She added that all civic bodies in Patna ensure that ongoing projects use standardised reflective barricades and LED hazard lights to maintain visibility, particularly during night hours.By combining active field surveillance with a high-priority grievance redress system, the PMC aims to minimise the risk posed by open trenches and unsafe construction zones. Even as investigators in Delhi continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the Janakpuri fatality, the PMC said it is focusing its resources on ensuring that infrastructure development in the city does not come at the cost of commuter safety.