DERA GHAZI KHAN: A six-year-old boy lost his life after falling into a 200-foot deep borehole at Kala Colony near Head Gajani on Thursday.

Rescue 1122 received an emergency call at 12:09pm, reporting that the child, identified as Nawab, son of Manzoor, had fallen into a tubewell borehole of 14-inch diametre. It dispatched an ambulance and two rescue vehicles to the scene within eight minutes. The incident was also reported to police and DC control rooms for coordinated efforts.

Upon arrival, the rescuers used a sonar device camera to locate the boy who was found stuck at a depth of 75 feet.

During a six-hour operation, the rescuers employed advanced techniques, including connecting iron rods with ropes to hook onto the child’s clothing and securing a slip knot on his feet. Unfortunately, the boy had already drowned in the water.

His body was retrieved and handed over to the family.

ESSAY CONTESTS: The results of essay writing competitions, organised at the tehsil, district and division levels, have been officially announced.

Managed by the commissioner by the district education authority and the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), the competitions showcased writing talents of students.

At the tehsil level, in the elementary level (English) category, Laraib Bibi secured first place with a cash prize of Rs10,000. For the elementary level (Urdu) category, Hoorain Fatima claimed the first position with the same cash prize, followed by Aleeza Fatima in second (Rs7,000) and Laraib Fatima in third (Rs5,000) positions. At the secondary level (Urdu), Ayesha Tariq earned first place with Sawera Jalal and Kinza Zakir taking second and third positions, respectively.

At the district level, in elementary level (English) contests, the winner Laraib Bibi shone again, taking first place with a prize of Rs20,000. In Urdu category, Hoorain Fatima achieved third position with Rs10,000 cash prize.

In the divisional level contests, Laraib secured third place in English competition, receiving Rs30,000 while in Urdu, Hoorain Fatima got first place, winning a grand prize of Rs50,000.

The event, organised under the banner of the Centre of Excellence Girls Rujhan, was aimed at inspiring young minds and celebrate their literary abilities. The winners demonstrated remarkable creativity and skill, setting a high standard for future participants.

The Center Of Excellence Boys Dera Ghazi Khan secured five positions while the Center of Excellence Rujhan obtained two positions at the divisional level essay writing competition.

Later, a ceremony was held at the Commissioner’s Office to honour the winners of the essay writing competition. Commissioner Dr Nasir Mahmood Bashir, along with RPO retired Capt Sajjad Hassan Khan, Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Usman Khalid and MPA Muhammad Hanif Pitafi distributed cash prizes worth Rs1.5m and certificates among 38 position holders from schools and colleges across the tehsil, district and division levels.

Over 12,000 students participated in the competition, showcasing their talent and promoting positive thinking.

Commissioner Dr Nasir Mahmood Bashir emphasized the importance of hard work, stating that such initiatives like essay writing contests inspired the youth to contribute to a brighter future for the country.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2024