Mysuru – A 14-year-old boy died of burns sustained in an open field at Shyadanahalli near Belavatha on the city outskirts. The incident occurred on Apr. 13 when the boy got stuck in loose soil at a vacant plot that was used to dump chemicals illegally. The soil had a high concentration of chemicals.

The victim has been identified as Harshal, who had gone to the field for ablutions along with his friend 17-year-old Manoj, when he came in contact with fire. He was rushed to K.R Hospital where he succumbed to injuries yesterday. His friend Manoj has sustained burns due to similar cause and is under treatment.

Harshal was a student of Naganahalli Government School and a resident of Shyadanahalli. As he entered the field with his friend, Harshal’s legs got buried in the loose sand that was hot and had fire underneath due to chemical reaction. He sank into the ground and most of the lower parts of the body and his legs were burnt. Harshal was in the ICU for two days.

NOT THE FIRST INCIDENT

The vacant land where the incident occurred is located between Shyadanahalli and Belavatha behind the Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudranalaya. The four-acre land belongs to one Somanna, a resident of Kumbarakoppal and according to villagers, one 30-year-old Manjunath was recently caught in the fire and he was treated at the K.R. Hospital.

According to the Police who visited the spot, the soil in the vacant plot was loose, and industrial chemical waste was dumped illegally there. “When the boys had gone to the plot, the sun was setting and it was slightly dark. Hence, they did not realise the presence of chemicals in the soil,” said Mysuru City Police Commissioner Dr. A. Subramanyeshwara Rao.

“The soil is highly inflammable and when Harshal got stuck, he suffered burns on the lower part of his body. When he tried to push himself up, he suffered burns on his hands as well. His friend Manoj escaped and called for help,” Dr. Rao added.

Mysuru Tahsildar Ramesh Babu, who visited K.R. Hospital yesterday said, “Industrial chemicals were dumped illegally at the plot. We have brought the issue to the notice of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and Deputy Commissioner D. Randeep. A probe has been initiated to find out which industries were dumping waste on the plot and action will be initiated against them.”

POLICE COLLECT SAMPLES

The jurisdictional Metagalli Police have collected samples of the soil and sent it to the forensic laboratory for analysis. A Police official said that there was a small depression in the field and it emits smoke when anything comes in contact with it. “We hit the portion of the earth with lathis to ascertain the incident and there was smoke and fire emanating from the ground,” said the official.

The Police said the place is very close to an industrial area and hence they suspect that untreated chemicals, which might have been dumped there, may be the cause for fire.

SAND-LIKE CHEMICAL

According to the villagers, the vacant plot was filled with sand-like chemical. “There is a particular stretch in the land that is around 20 guntas where sand-like materials are mixed with soil. The concentration of chemicals is so high in the area that smoke emanates if the soil is touched or poked with a stick,” said Ramachandra, a villager.

“A tense atmosphere is prevailing in and around Belavatha and Shyadanahalli. People fear to enter vacant plots,” he said.

“Last time when one Manjunath sustained injuries at the same spot, we had alerted the District Administration, Village Panchayat and Pollution Board officials. No action was taken and now the innocent boy had to pay with his life,” he added.

MLA GTD DEMANDS COMPENSATION

Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda has demanded that the District Administration and the State Government to provide compensation to Harshal’s family. “Belavatha and Shyadanahalli come under my constituency and it is unfortunate that the boy lost his life. I have called Mysuru Deputy Commissioner D. Randeep and have asked him to immediately release compensation,” he said. The MLA, currently in Delhi, also added that strict action must be taken against industries that are dumping chemical waste at vacant plots.

Villagers blame Pollution Control Board officials

Another villager said that the 20-gunta land was dominated by loose sand and that is red in colour. Inside the top layer a lava-like substance exists. “The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board officials have given permission for the industries to establish plants in Belavatha and these industries are dumping industrial waste and other effluents,” he alleged.  Industrial waste is being indiscriminately dumped on vacant lands since over two years and the officers meant to control pollution and save environment have allowed this exploitation, villagers alleged.

The District Administration has now cordoned off the 4-acre area and danger banners have been put around. The entry and exit points of the vacant land have been sealed. Villagers, however, said that the boy would not have lost his life if the administration had taken precautionary measures early.

Reacting to the allegations that the District Administration and its subordinate departments are playing with the lives of the villagers, Pollution Board Officer M.G. Raghuram claimed that no one from the village had lodged complaint with the Board so far. “We will take samples from the spot and will send them  for testing,” he added.