A heart-wrenching incident shook Faridabad's Sihi village on Sunday evening, leaving the entire community in deep shock. Three-year-old Neha accidentally slipped and fell into an open borewell measuring approximately 200 feet in depth while playing near her home. The victim's parents toil as daily wage laborers to make ends meet and live in a small rented house. Following a grueling rescue operation that lasted nearly 10 hours, the child was successfully pulled out, but doctors at the hospital pronounced her dead upon arrival. This tragic accident has once again raised serious questions regarding long-standing negligence and the menace of uncovered borewells in the rural pocket.
Struggling Parents and a Rented Home
According to local neighbors, Neha's father works as a laborer, while her mother goes out to do domestic cleaning and sweeping chores in nearby residential bungalows. The family resides on rent in Sihi village, located in Sector 8 of Faridabad. Reports indicate that the mishap occurred at a spot where a municipal corporation tubewell was previously installed. This facility had remained non-functional for nearly 10 years. While it initially had a protective cover, the lid had gone missing a few days prior to the incident. Around 6 pm on Sunday evening, the toddler wandered near the spot while playing and fell straight into the uncovered borewell.
Historical Significance and Current Woes of Sihi Village
Sihi village holds a prominent place in the region as a historically significant settlement. It is widely recognized as the birthplace of the revered saint Surdas. Some local traditions even trace the history of this village back to the Dwapara Yuga. However, the contemporary ground reality of the area has undergone a stark transformation. Overflowing sewage water routinely stagnates on village streets, while open manhole covers and glaring civic negligence greet visitors across the locality. Residents point out that these civic issues are not recent developments but have persisted for years, yet the administration has consistently failed to pay adequate attention to them.
Eyewitness Accounts From Local Residents
Local resident Devendra Singh recalled that the young girl fell into the shaft at around 6 pm. He noted that the borewell was quite old and the operating tubewell had been relocated further away, leaving the hazardous shaft completely exposed. The child's parents hail originally from Uttar Pradesh, and her mother works in residential properties. According to Devendra Singh, the borewell plunges nearly 200 feet deep and had been left unprotected for a prolonged period without anyone taking notice, pointing unmistakably toward administrative and civic negligence.
Rescue Efforts and Community Response
Another local resident, Premlata, stated that a tubewell used to stand at the exact location previously, and Neha's family lived nearby on rent. The household occupies small rooms covered with tin roofs. When the child fell into the cavity, Premlata's children made the very first attempts to save her by lowering a rope down the shaft. The lighting arrangement at the disaster site was also set up by her children. Another local resident, Ajay, added that the victim's father is a laborer, and rescue teams arrived at the location immediately upon receiving information about the accident to initiate operations to pull the child out.
