Supreme court guidelines make rig and borewell owners responsible for accidents

Nellore: In the wake of several incidents where innocent children were killed after falling into abandoned borewells, the groundwater department has issued guidelines as per the directions of the Supreme Court to protect the children. These rules have made the borewell owners and rig managements responsible for any untoward incident.

According to the groundwater wing officials, negligence of the owners to remove the casing of the borewell and close the same when it becomes dry gave scope for children to fall in them.

Taking a serious view, the apex court made it mandatory for the rigs to register with the governmental agency irrespective of whether they belonged to the private or government sphere.

The rig owner and the borewell owner should put up a signboard and arrange a fence around the installation. A concrete platform is a must at the borewell as per the new specifications.

All the pits and muddy canals around the borewell should be closed and the ground should be leveled.

In the case of closed bore wells, the owners should obtain a certificate from officials about the closure to save themselves from the possible legal problems.

Records should be maintained on both functioning and defunct bore wells by the agriculture department in villages and by the municipal engineering and public health department in urban areas.

Officials should inspect the bore wells in their jurisdiction and ensure all safety norms, said the assistant director of the groundwater department.