LHC issues notices to Punjab govt, others over Lahore manhole deaths

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has sought response from the Punjab government and other concerned parties on a petition calling for action over the deaths of a woman and her infant daughter who fell into an uncovered manhole near Bhatti Gate.

Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi heard the petition that was filed by Aamna Malik along with the Judicial Activism Panel.

Representing the petitioners, Advocate Azhar Siddique told the court that incidents of people falling into open manholes were increasing and posed a serious risk to public safety. He said it was deeply unfortunate that an uncovered sewer was left in a densely populated area, leading to the fatal incident.

The counsel argued that instead of holding officials accountable, the authorities had taken only superficial steps. He urged the court to fix responsibility and order action against those found negligent.

During the hearing, the assistant attorney general said the federal government had been wrongly included in the petition, as the issue fell under the jurisdiction of the provincial authorities. However, the judge remarked that the court also wished to hear the federal government’s stance on the matter.

After initial arguments, the court issued notices to the respondents and asked them to file their replies by March 3.

The incident occurred near Bhatti Gate at the site of the under-construction Data Darbar expansion project, where the woman and her 10-month-old daughter fell into an open sewer. The woman’s body was recovered later the same night, while the child’s body was found the following day.