Child’s death: KMC report blames BRT, store management for tragic Karachi manhole incident
KARACHI: A Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) inquiry has held the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and a shopping mall’s management responsible for the tragic death of three-year-old Ibrahim, who fell into an open manhole near NIPA Chowrangi, prompting fresh criticism over civic negligence across the city. The incident has once again raised serious questions about urban safety, administrative coordination, and ongoing infrastructure disruptions in Pakistan’s financial capital — concerns that continue to dominate urban affairs coverage alongside national headlines featured in Pakistan News and World News.
According to the report, Senior Director Municipal Services Imran Rajput confirmed that KMC teams began an immediate search operation as soon as the child was reported missing. The body was eventually recovered from a link nullah in Gulshan Town, revealing how far the child had been carried by the damaged drainage system.
The inquiry concluded that the mishap occurred due to excavation work carried out as part of the BRT project, which the report stated had “thoroughly damaged the drainage system of the nullah.” Investigators noted that temporary two-foot covers had been used in an attempt to secure the manholes, but one side of the manhole remained exposed, leading to the fatal fall.
The KMC clarified in the report that it does not use sub-standard covers and described the technique used to cover the gutter as improper and unsafe. Officials emphasised that the BRT management did not inform the municipal body before initiating construction work, and later ignored the resulting hazards created around the site.
The report holds both the store’s management and the BRT project administration jointly responsible for negligence, stating that their failure to secure the area created conditions that directly contributed to the child’s death. It added that all excavated sites have now been filled under official supervision to avoid further incidents.
The tragedy has triggered widespread public anger in Karachi — a city already dealing with infrastructure issues highlighted frequently in local updates tracked under Karachi News — as citizens call for strict accountability and immediate reforms to prevent similar incidents.
