A duct meant to provide utility services to the residents of a gated community on the western fringes of the city turned into a near-fatal trap for a nine-year-old girl whose family had moved into the apartment hours earlier on Thursday.
The girl fell through the duct from the ninth floor of Eden City in Maheshtala around 8.20pm on Thursday, landing on a concrete base on the ground floor.
She was rushed to CMRI hospital. Around 8pm on Saturday, a hospital spokesperson said: “She is still on ventilation. She is still very critical. But her condition has not worsened.”
The fire duct, right beside the communication duct on the ninth floor
The closed door that opens to the duct from where the girl fell. Eight such ducts are present on each floor, for utility services like fire, electricity and communication
She was rushed to CMRI hospital. Around 8pm on Saturday, a hospital spokesperson said: “She is still on ventilation. She is still very critical. But her condition has not worsened.”
Her fall was broken by a series of acrylic sheets that serve as the base of the utility ducts at every floor, the kind that gave way unable to take her weight.
She was playing with a friend in the corridor — the flat had guests following a housewarming ceremony — when she entered the duct and mistook the base, made of acrylic sheets, as a stable floor, according to her family members and other residents.
The incident took place in F4 Tower of Eden City Maheshtala. When Metro visited on Saturday, the duct had a “danger” sign in front of it.
Residents said the danger sign was put up after the accident. They alleged lack of signage around the ducts. “How can a child understand where to go and where not to go? This is sheer negligence,” said a woman, who lives in an adjacent tower.
The door leading to the duct was shut with a latch within the reach of a nine-year-old.
The adjacent duct had fire hydrants and sprinklers attached to the wall. But the one through which the girl fell had bare walls.
An official of the facility management unit of Eden City Maheshtala said each floor had eight utility ducts. “The ducts are made for different utility services like fire and electricity. This particular one was a communication duct, meant for cable and Internet,” he said.
The fire duct, right beside the communication duct on the ninth floor
“The doors cannot be kept locked in case there is an emergency. The flats have been handed over only after a safety audit was conducted,” the official said.
An architect not associated with the highrise said that there should have been proper signage and a list of dos and don’ts near the duct.
“The keys of the door to the utility duct should be kept in a glass enclosure. In case of an emergency it can be broken open,” the architect said.
The family of four had moved to Eden City Maheshtala on Thursday and had a grihapravesh on the same day.
When The Telegraph visited their flat, the child’s elder sister was at home. Flowerpots, the remnants of the puja that was held, were still seen outside their door.
The complex is spread across 23 acres and is a 30-minute drive from Taratala.
There are 36 towers and a total of 2,000 apartments. About 60 per cent of the apartments are occupied and possession had been given out starting 2012.
The tower where the accident happened is relatively new. The possessions of flats in the tower are underway, said an official.
Officials at Eden City Group said they are in touch with the family of the girl.
“It is a very unfortunate incident. But it also needs to be seen why a girl so young went close to the duct without any adult supervision. We are providing all kinds of help to the family,” said an official of Eden City Group who requested not to be named.
Police said they had not received any complaint from the family so far.
