Chetna remains trapped in borewell even after 96 hours

Jaipur: Despite all rescue efforts, Chetna, a 3-year-old girl, remains trapped in a borewell in Kotputli at a depth of 120 feet for 96 hours without food or water. Efforts to rescue her have stretched into the fifth day, with heavy rain and logistical challenges hindering progress.

A parallel pit approximately 170 feet deep has been dug using a piling machine. As of 9:30 a.m., a 162-foot-long pipe has been installed in the pit, with plans to add an additional 8-foot section.

Once complete, “rat miners” are set to descend through the pipe to dig a 20-foot horizontal tunnel con-necting the pit to the borewell.

The operation has faced repeated setbacks due to rain and the presence of stone layers obstructing the excavation, said Kotputli-Baharod district collector Kalpana Aggarwal who acknowledged these difficul-ties, noting that the unpredictable conditions have complicated rescue efforts.

Chetna fell into a 700-foot borewell on Monday. Initial attempts to rescue her using improvised tools succeeded in raising her by 30 feet but failed to extract her completely.

For the past three days, she has remained at 120 feet, showing no signs of movement, while officials remain silent about her condition.

Efforts to rescue her with modern equipment began on December 24 after earlier methods proved in-effective.

However, progress has been slow, and the family has expressed frustration with delays and alleged neg-ligence by authorities.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma instructed all District Collectors to ensure that no borewells are left open within the next two weeks to prevent any loss of life, officials said.

The Chief Minister urged all departments to adopt a mission-mode approach to minimise road accidents and instructed officials to promptly identify and address accident-prone locations and repair black spots on a priority basis.

These campaigns will target schools, colleges, and workplaces to educate people about road safety and encourage adherence to traffic rules.