Boy, 14, seriously hurt in fall into Pune water tank under construction; case against L&T manager

Pune, October 24, 2026: A 14-year-old boy suffered multiple fractures after falling into a water tank under construction near the biogas plant in Taljai Colony. The tank is being built under the Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) equal water supply scheme.

Police have registered a case against L&T project manager Manohar Mehta and the contractor concerned. They are accused of not putting adequate safety arrangements in place at the construction site.

The injured boy is Nikhil Nitin Sathe, a Class 8 student. Both his legs are broken below the knee. He also has injuries to his waist, stomach and hand.

The accident took place on October 13 at about 6.30 pm. Nikhil had just returned from school and left home to play with his friend Om Sachin Kasbe. Some time later, Om reached Nikhil's house and told the family that Nikhil had fallen into the tank.

Nikhil's mother Manju Sathe, his grandmother and his uncle rushed to the spot and found Nikhil lying inside the tank. A local resident, Uddhav Lahu Kamble, informed the fire brigade. Fire brigade personnel brought the boy out. He was then admitted to Bharati Hospital for treatment.

In her complaint, Nikhil's mother has alleged that the construction site had no safety netting, warning boards or other arrangements needed to prevent accidents.

According to the complaint, on October 21 the family went to the PMC water supply department's office in Shivajinagar to inquire about the accident. They were told there that the contract for building the tank had been given to L&T.