Karachi BRT Red Line Dispute Intensifies After Child’s Tragic Manhole Death

Karachi is once again struggling with serious safety concerns after the Karachi BRT manhole incident. A three-year-old boy fell into an open manhole near Nipa in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Sunday night. Rescue teams found his body almost 15 hours later, leaving the city in shock.

KMC Report Blames Red Line Officials

Hours after the tragedy, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation released an inquiry report. It claimed that officials of the BRT Red Line project and a nearby departmental store acted carelessly. According to the report, both parties failed to secure the area around the drain.
The KMC said its teams acted on instructions from Mayor Murtaza Wahab to recover the child’s body. After the recovery, officials inspected the site to determine what caused the drowning. They stated that BRT workers excavated pits earlier and paved the area during road construction. However, they did not inform or seek clearance from KMC.
As a result, the report accused Red Line officials and the store’s management of ignoring basic safety measures. It argued that this negligence exposed the open drain and led to the fatal incident.

Red Line Management Rejects Accusations

The BRT Red Line team strongly denied the claims. It called the KMC findings “a serious oversight” and said the incident happened far from any ongoing construction. The team stated that no excavation or roadwork existed near the location. It added that the drainage system does not fall under the BRT’s responsibility.
The management said the store uses its parking space independently. It insisted the tragedy reflects long-standing drainage issues that the city failed to address.
Meanwhile, the Sindh chief minister suspended five officials for alleged negligence as the investigation continues.