Tragic Incident in East Delhi: Mother and Child Drown in Uncovered Drain
A plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court concerning a tragic incident in East Delhi’s Ghazipur area where a mother and child died after falling into an uncovered Delhi Development Authority (DDA) drain.
Incident Details
A woman named Tanuja (22) and her child, Priyansh (3), drowned on Wednesday after falling into a waterlogged drain near the Mayur Vihar area of East Delhi following heavy rainfall. They were residents of Prakash Nagar Khoda Colony.
Plea Filed
The plea seeks accountability from the contractor responsible for the drain and requests a comprehensive audit of ongoing drain construction projects, including flood mitigation measures. The court is scheduled to hear the matter on August 5.
Petitioner’s Requests
The petitioner, Jhunnu Lal Srivastava, seeks direction from Delhi Police to lodge an FIR and initiate an investigation into the incident. The plea also requests policies to address and mitigate flood-like situations in Delhi and to cover all open drains with proper signage to educate the public.
Allegations
The plea alleges that the DDA has violated its own circular, which directed engineers to ensure no gaps on deep covered drains and no uncovered manholes. The lack of a comprehensive flood management policy and uncovered drains violate the fundamental right to health and safety of Delhi’s residents.
Conclusion
The plea states that despite frequent fatalities due to waterlogging and clogged drains, the respondents have failed to take corrective steps, leading to further loss of lives. The DDA and Delhi Police have not fixed accountability or punished the erring contractor or staff for the deaths that occurred on July 31, 2024.
Doubts Revealed
Delhi High Court -: The Delhi High Court is a big building where judges work. They make important decisions about laws and rules in Delhi.
plea -: A plea is like a request or a call for help. In this case, someone is asking the court to take action.
contractor -: A contractor is a person or company hired to do a specific job, like building or fixing things. Here, the contractor was supposed to take care of the drain.
audit -: An audit is like a check-up. It means looking closely at something to make sure everything is done correctly. In this case, it’s about checking the drain projects.
FIR -: FIR stands for First Information Report. It is a document that the police create when someone reports a crime.
investigation -: An investigation is when people look for clues and information to understand what happened. The police do this to find out the truth.
Ghazipur -: Ghazipur is a place in East Delhi. It’s a part of the city where people live and work.
