Pune, Oct 18 — A 69-year-old man died after falling into an 8 to 10-foot-deep pit dug for a drainage line project by the Pune Municipal Corporation in the Yerawada area of Pune in Maharashtra, police said on Sunday.
The incident took place around 12.30 p.m. on October 17 near Chitra Chowk vegetable market. The deceased has been identified as Pradeep Pardeshi, a resident of Yerawada.
According to police, Pardeshi was walking along the road when an autorickshaw passing nearby allegedly brushed against him, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the excavation pit.
Senior Police Inspector Yuvraj Nandre of Laxmi Nagar Police Station told IANS that drainage line work had been underway at the location for the past 15 days.
He said barricades had been installed around the excavation site as a precautionary measure.
Following the incident, Pardeshi was rushed to Shubhankar Hospital in Yerawada, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment in the evening.
Nandre said the police received information about the incident through a medico-legal case (MLC) intimation on the morning of October 18.
"Initially, we were informed that a vehicle had skidded and fallen into the pit, resulting in the death of a person. We made some inquiries following the information," he said.
The police subsequently contacted the family members of the deceased to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.
"After some inquiries, the family members told us that they would visit the police station after performing the last rites and lodge a formal complaint," Nandre said.
Police said no formal complaint had been registered in the case so far.
Further action will be initiated after the family members approach the police station and submit their complaint, Nandre added.
The incident has once again brought attention to safety arrangements at road excavation sites during ongoing civic infrastructure projects.