Outrage is mounting in Puri after an unidentified man drowned in the notorious Mukula drain near the Police Line High School. This marks the second fatality in the same stretch in just eight days, following a similar tragedy on April 2.
Kumbarpada police recovered the body and have initiated an investigation to identify the deceased. While the body has been sent for postmortem, the recurring accidents have sparked fierce criticism of administrative negligence.
Locals have long pleaded for the drain to be secured with concrete slabs, yet these warnings have seemingly fallen on deaf ears.
As two lives have been lost in a single week, residents are demanding immediate accountability and permanent safety measures to prevent the "death trap" from claiming more victims.
The administration’s failure to cover the open hazard remains a focal point of public anger.