Ahmedabad Girl Missing for Six Days: CCTV-Based Probe Ordered as Search Faces Major Hurdles
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The search for a 10-year-old visually impaired girl who fell into a 40-foot-deep drainage line on Ahmedabad’s Narol-Pirana Road remains unsuccessful after six days, prompting Standing Committee Chairman Kamlesh Patel to order a CCTV-based investigation.
Fire Department teams have searched the drainage network, manholes, the river and the sewage treatment plant (STP), but have found no trace of the child.
Patel issued the investigation directive during a Standing Committee meeting on Thursday, as questions persist over what happened after the girl fell into the drain last Saturday.
Search Teams Suspect Girl May Be Trapped in Sludge
According to Patel, searches across several locations have failed to yield any leads. The absence of the girl’s body has raised the possibility that she may be trapped beneath the sludge inside the drainage system.
However, officials have not confirmed this possibility, and search operations are continuing.
Strong Currents, Toxic Gases Hamper Rescue Efforts
Fire Department personnel are facing difficult conditions inside the drainage line, where strong water currents are preventing equipment from operating effectively.
Officials have also reported hot gases and a pungent odour emerging from manholes, making it dangerous for rescue personnel to descend into the system. The presence of chemically contaminated water has added to the risks.
The combination of fast-flowing water, hazardous gases and chemical effluent has significantly complicated efforts to locate the child.
Suspicion of Illegal Industrial Discharge
The drainage line where the girl fell is a main trunk line that carries wastewater from Ahmedabad’s South, East and North zones.
Industrial units operate across these areas, raising suspicions that some establishments may be releasing chemically contaminated wastewater into the drainage network through illegal connections.
Sources have also alleged that chemical waste could be entering the line through tankers, particularly late at night or in the early morning.
Industrial units in Naroda have been mentioned in connection with these allegations. Effluent from the Behrampura, Vatva and Narol areas may also be entering the trunk line, according to sources.
These allegations have not been independently confirmed. The immediate priority remains locating the missing girl, while the CCTV-based investigation ordered by Patel is expected to help establish the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
