Following the tragic death of three-year-old Ibrahim who fell into an open manhole in Karachi, the BRT Red Line administration has issued an official statement unequivocally denying any involvement or responsibility for the incident. This formal denial highlights the ongoing conflict among government bodies regarding accountability.
The BRT statement asserted that the site of the incident was located at a considerable distance from the project’s construction activities. The administration emphasized several key points:
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There was no excavation or construction activity by the BRT Red Line ongoing at or immediately around the site of the accident.
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The BRT project holds no responsibility for the repair or maintenance of the sewage or drainage infrastructure related to the manhole.
According to the statement, the BRT was also not carrying out any civil works at or near the accident location. The administration further reinforced its compliance by noting that all ongoing BRT works were initiated only after obtaining the necessary No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the concerned authorities.
In a specific detail, the BRT administration clarified that any excavation conducted and subsequently closed by their team was approximately 300 meters away from where the accident occurred.
This announcement serves as a direct rebuttal to claims suggesting that BRT construction activities may have been a contributing factor to the open manhole and the resulting tragedy, firmly placing the blame back on the custodians of the city’s aging sewage infrastructure.
