Bhopal: In a first of its kind initiative in the country, Madhya Pradesh government is bringing a legislation seeking to make the negligence for leaving borewells open, a criminal offence.
The proposed legislation is most likely to be placed in the ensuing budget session of the Assembly, according to state public health engineer (PHE) minister Sampatiya Uike.
The draft bill which is being given the finishing touch has set guidelines to be followed by the officers concerned in case of a death in the open borewell, abandoned by the land owner without filling it.
The proposed guidelines have recommended measures to avert such tragedies. The draft bill also recommends steps to be taken in the event of a child falling into an open borewell.
It also suggests measures to fix the accountability on the erring people including officers, a senior officer in the PHE department told this newspaper on Friday, unwilling to be quoted.
The draft bill recommends heavy penalties for not filling or plugging the open borewells.
In case of a death caused by an open borewell , dug out in a private land, the land owner would be brought to book and if the tragedy takes place in an open borewell dug in a government land, then the officer concerned would be held accountable for it, the officer said.
As per the draft bill, a criminal case would be registered against the persons held accountable for the borewell tragedies, the officer said.
Currently, it is being treated as a case of negligence.
Harsh sections under Indian Penal Code (IPC) would be applied for such tragedies.
Besides the erring land owners and officers concerned, the agency that drills the borewell would also be booked for the mishap.
The public would be encouraged to inform the government if they notice any open borewell.
Nine such incidents have taken place in Madhya Pradesh in the last seven months in which two children had died.
