A woman and her infant daughter died after falling into an open manhole at the Data Darbar project in Lahore. Officials suspended and contractor staff arrested for negligence.
Project team suspended, contractor officials arrested as CM Maryam Nawaz terms incident “criminal negligence. A tragic incident occurred in Lahore at the under-construction Data Darbar extension project, where a young woman and her 10-month-old daughter lost their lives after falling into an open manhole.
Following the incident, authorities suspended the entire project team and arrested three contractor officials for negligence. The arrested individuals include Project Manager Asghar Sindhu, Safety In-charge Daniyal, and Site In-charge Ahmed Nawaz. Lahore Operations SSP Muhammad Tauqir confirmed that all three accused named in the FIR have been taken into custody.
After a preliminary inquiry, the government found clear negligence and suspended officials from the Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency, including Project Director Zahid Abbas, Deputy Director Shabbir Ahmad, Assistant Director Ulfat Nawaz, and Sub Engineer Abdul Razzaq. The project consultant NESPAK was also issued a show-cause notice, and suspension of the resident engineer was recommended after manhole tragedy.
"The deaths were not an accident but a crime. Those responsible will face strict punishment." — Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz
The victims were identified as 24-year-old Sadia and her infant daughter Rida Fatima. The family had travelled from Shorkot to visit the shrine of Data Darbar when the incident occurred.
Chief Minister’s Response
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz strongly criticized the Lahore administration, calling the deaths a result of “criminal negligence.” She said those responsible would not be spared and held senior officials, including the Lahore commissioner, deputy commissioner, assistant commissioner, and heads of LDA and WASA, accountable.
The Chief Minister ordered Rs 10 million in compensation to be recovered from the contractor and given to the victim’s family. She also directed immediate action to cover all open manhole and ditches at construction sites across Punjab.
In a post on X, she stated that the deaths were “not an accident but a crime” and promised strict punishment for those responsible.
Rescue Operation and FIR
Video footage later contradicted initial claims by some departments regarding the incident. Sadia’s body was recovered near Outfall Road at 1:00 am, while her daughter’s body was found in Saggian at 1:00 pm, nearly 17 hours later.
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The tragedy has raised serious concerns about safety standards, accountability, and oversight at major public and religious sites in Lahore.
An FIR was registered at Bhati Gate Police Station on the complaint of Sadia’s father, nominating three contractor officials for negligence. Police officials later confirmed that strong water flow at the time of the manhole incident likely swept the victims away.
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