In the aftermath of a tragic incident where a two-year-old girl lost her life after falling into an open drain in Burari, North Delhi, it has come to light that the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) department had previously requested the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to assume responsibility for the drainage system. This correspondence occurred in July of the previous year.
Documents reviewed by The Indian Express reveal that the drain, situated between Gujjar Chowk and Ramlila Ground in Mukundpur, was built by the I&FC. Due to its relatively small size, measuring just 4 feet in width, the I&FC sought the MCD’s assistance for desilting and ongoing maintenance of the drain.
The request was grounded in a directive from the Delhi Lieutenant Governor issued in 2014, which mandated that municipal corporations were to undertake desilting of drains in unauthorized colonies measuring less than 4 feet, regardless of which agency was responsible for the development work in those areas.
In its communication to the MCD, the I&FC stated, “The road and side drains from Gujjar Chowk to Ramlila Ground (D-Block Mukandpur) were constructed by our department, and subsequent cleaning and desilting of the side drains were also performed.”
The letter concluded with a plea for the MCD to take over the management of the mentioned drains to prevent any inconvenience to local residents.
A senior official noted that even during the tenure of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and under the leadership of Manish Sisodia, directives were given for the MCD to take charge of the drain. The I&FC’s letter to the MCD last year reiterated this request.
MCD officials were unavailable for comment despite multiple attempts to reach them.
In response to the child’s tragic death, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has called for accountability among the officials and engineers involved. Following her directives, a junior engineer from the I&FC was promptly dismissed from his position.
An official mentioned that the Chief Minister also instructed relevant agencies to identify open drains and other dangerous areas that could endanger lives and to address these issues without delay.
According to the Bhalswa Dairy police station, the toddler was discovered in the drain approximately 15 meters from her home on Sunday. She was transported to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Initial investigations indicate that the child likely wandered out of her house while playing and inadvertently fell into the open drain, resulting in drowning. Family members have not raised any concerns about potential foul play at this time, according to police reports.
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