Close dead wells, enough kids have died in them

Hubli: Firemen and others may not have been able to rescue six-year old, Timmanna Hatti who accidentally fell into a 170-ft deep borewell in Sulikeri village, Badami taluk last month, but in Ganesha pandals in many parts of north Karnataka, it is the elephant God who is leading the rescue effort, applying balm to memories of the tragedy that is still fresh in the minds of people here. Large crowds are seen at the Ganesha pandals displaying models of the rescue effort as people continue to mourn the death of the little boy. Most models have been installed by youth organisations,  that are hoping to create awareness about the dangers of defunct borewells and persuade people to close them in the district.

In Bilagi town of Bagalkot district, members of the Gajanan Yuvak Mandal have placed a doll representing the trapped boy in a model of a borewell in a Ganesha pandal complete with toy earthmovers, tippers and other rescue material. Iterestingly , it is Ganesha who is leading the rescue operation assisted by  firemen , doctors and a robot in many of the pandals. So far, the campaign launched by the youth organisations and the district administration has led to the closure of over 7,000 borewells.

“The district administration spent over Rs 40 lakh to rescue the boy trapped in the borewell in Sulikeri village. But people can save the lives of children by closing  defunct borewells at a cost of a mere Rs 200,” notes a member of the Gajanan Yuvak Mandal,  Natekar Mallu. Models of  the borewell tragedy are also displayed in front of Ganesha idols in schools by teachers  to spread awareness about the dangers of defunct borewells lying open among students and their parents. Similar Ganesha pandals are seen all over Gadag, Haveri and Dharwad districts too.