Swimming with the dog costed engineer’s life

Mumbai:  A swim with his dog proved disastrous for 26-year-old Omkar Baviskar, a resident of Ulhasnagar, who drowned in the GIP lake dam at Ambernath on Sunday. Swimming is prohibited in the lake and his body could be recovered only after 30 hours, due to lack of equipment and divers.

The biggest shock to his two sisters came when they were told that there was no way to search for or rescue him. "His sister Veena tried in vain to get the authorities to start the rescue operation but they simply kept saying they did not have any equipment. The fire brigade came later but all were helpless," said a relative. Omkar had lost both his parents earlier.

According to a family friend, Omkar was a good swimmer and had gone to the lake because of his dog. "The dog was diagnosed with some problem in its legs so the veterinarian asked it to be taken for swimming. On Sunday afternoon, Omkar returned with the dog after swimming but then told some of his friends that he wanted to take one last dip. He went back and simply disappeared," said Lalit Dakhane, a family friend, who added that Omkar was an engineer and worked at Vikhroli.

The lake belongs to the Central Railways and the dam was built under the British empire. The waters powered thousands of steam locomotives at that time. Early this year, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism corporation (IRCTC) had set-up a drinking water bottling plant there.

Local MLA Dr Balaji Kinikar, who went to the spot, said, "I am still shocked as to how he could drown. His friends told me he swam for more than an hour with the dog. The municipal council had very basic equipment and the officials tried to do what they could. They tried to contact divers as well but it was too late," he said.  "I have spoken to the CEO and requested him to take up the matter with railways and get boards and barb wires put up in the area," added Kinikar.