All government departments would be held responsible and held accountable if any citizen fell in a manhole, said Minister of Local Government and Housing Town Planning Nasir Hussain Shah while speaking to the media in Sukkur.
The body of the boy, who drowned in an open manhole near Nipa in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Sunday night, was found on Monday, around 15 hours after the incident occurred.
The child’s tragic death, particularly the lack of cooperation from relevant civic agencies to launch an immediate search, had angered relatives and area residents, who staged a protest on University Road on Sunday night and again during the day on Monday.
“All government departments, including KMC, Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, as well as the administration, including police, deputy commissioner and assistant commissioners of relevant areas, would be responsible, if such kind of incidents happen again,” the minister said, adding that no excuses from officials would be entertained.
Hussain maintained that the orders were applicable across Sindh.
Referring to the unfortunate incident, the minister said, “Such an unfortunate incident can happen to anyone.”
Addressing the issue, he said the government was making efforts to “over manholes”, but they were being “removed” as shown in multiple “videos circulating on social media”.
On Tuesday, many political parties held protests against the provincial administration and demanded that the Karachi mayor resign, while pleas were also filed in courts demanding action against city officials.
A post by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation on X on Wednesday night said the mayor visited the boy’s family and extended his condolences.
“An impartial inquiry will be conducted, and anyone found negligent will face action. We will take structured measures to prevent such incidents in the future,” the post quoted the mayor as saying.
A district court issued notices to the Karachi mayor, managing director of the KWSC, the Gulshan Town chairman, and the Red Line contractor on an application seeking the registration of a case against them over their alleged negligence in the tragic death.
The applicant submitted that the incident demonstrated blatant failure of local authorities and emergency services.
He also argued that the tragic death of the child was not an isolated incident, as at least 23 people had lost their lives in Karachi in 2025 due to falling into open manholes.
