BRT Red Line administration denies responsibility in child’s death near Nipa, calls incident ‘unrelated’

The manager of the BRT Red Line project has issued a clarification after the tragic death of a three-year-old boy who fell into an open manhole near Nipa Chowrangi in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal area.

According to details, the BRT Red Line project manager said in a statement regarding the heartbreaking incident that occurred near a mart at Nipa Chowrangi that the death of three-year-old Ibrahim, who fell into an open manhole on the night of November 30, 2025, is an extremely distressing tragedy.

The project administration stands with the grieving family in their time of sorrow.

The Environmental and Social Safeguard Manager of the Red Line BRT stated that the incident took place at a location that is considerably distant from the BRT Red Line construction zone, where no excavation, machinery, activity, or obstruction related to the BRT was present.

The statement further clarified that the road at the location was complete, and the old sewerage channel’s manhole where the incident occurred does not fall under the administrative or operational domain of the BRT Red Line.

The BRT Red Line administration added that a letter from a senior KMC director circulating on social media creates a misleading impression, whereas the ground reality is entirely different, as no construction activity or related work had been carried out at or near the incident site.

The statement urged that all excavation activities of the BRT project begin only after securing the required NOCs from relevant authorities, and any dug-up area is immediately filled and secured.

The parking area where the tragedy occurred belongs to the store and is far from any BRT work; therefore, linking this incident to the BRT Red Line project is an irresponsible act.

The BRT Red Line administration further stated that since the project is supported by the Asian Development Bank, strict Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards are enforced at construction sites, with continuous monitoring.

The project administration assured that it will continue to cooperate with all stakeholders and maintain the highest safety standards at all construction locations.