LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has expressed deep shock and grief over the deaths of a mother and her infant daughter who fell into an open sewer line in Lahore’s Bhati Gate area, terming the incident unacceptable in a major metropolitan city.
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Chairing a high-level meeting on the Bhati Gate tragedy, the chief minister questioned why the names of officials responsible from the Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA) and the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) had not been disclosed and why no arrests had been made so far. She described the incident as “criminal negligence” and said such lapses could not be justified under any circumstances.
پارکنگ کا مسئلہ بعد کی بات ہے، اصل سوال یہ ہے کہ وہ جگہ کورڈ کیوں نہیں تھی؟ اسے کھلا چھوڑ دیا گیا، کسی نے پرواہ نہیں کی۔ سائیڈ پر پینافلیکس اور بینرز لگے تھے کہ آگے کنسٹرکشن ہو رہی ہے، لیکن وہ کافی نہیں تھے۔ روشنی بالکل نہیں تھی، کوئی بلب نہیں جل رہا تھا۔ ایسے میں کون کھڑا ہو کے… pic.twitter.com/rmtEYKFQNe
— PMLN (@pmln_org) January 29, 2026
📌واقعہ کو ایسے پیش کیا گیا جیسے کچھ ہوا ہی نہیں، متاثرہ فیملی کو کنڈیکٹر سے ایک کروڑ روپے دلوائے جائے
📌اداروں کی غفلت اور نااہلی کی وجہ سے 2 قیمتی جانیں ضائع ہوئیں، تمام ادارے واقعہ کے ذمہ دار ہیں
“وزیر اعلی مریم نواز کا اجلاس سے خطاب” pic.twitter.com/Q8qheMrOOX
— PMLN (@pmln_org) January 30, 2026
Lahore Manhole Incident.
Three nominated persons have been Arrested.
1- Asghar Sindhu (Project Manager)
2-Ahmed Nawaz(Site Supervisor)
3-Hanzla Alias Danyal (Safety Incharge) pic.twitter.com/UZfFn35fxJ— Muneeb Farooq (@muneebfaruqpak) January 29, 2026
Expressing solidarity with the bereaved family, Maryam Nawaz announced that Rs10 million would be recovered from the responsible contractor to provide financial assistance to the victims’ relatives. She stressed that there was no difference between deaths caused by negligence and those caused by any other means, adding that accountability must be ensured.
According to briefings presented during the meeting, construction work was underway at the site at the time of the accident. The sewer line was at an unusually high level and water flow fluctuated continuously. The victims—a young woman and her 10-month-old daughter—had travelled to Lahore to visit relatives and were boarding a rickshaw when they fell into the uncovered sewer. Officials said poor lighting and darkness at the site contributed significantly to the tragedy, which could have been prevented.
The chief minister said everyone present at the construction site shared responsibility, noting that multiple manholes had been left open and that safety arrangements were completely absent. She confirmed that the mother’s body was recovered a day earlier, while the child’s body was retrieved today.
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Criticising the site management, Maryam Nawaz said that although the area had been cordoned off with pannaflex banners, proper lighting was not arranged. She added that reviewing Safe City and CCTV footage takes time but emphasised that such incidents would not be tolerated in Lahore.