NEW DELHI: A petition was moved in the Delhi High Court on Friday seeking to hold the contractor, responsible for maintenance and safety of drains, accountable for the tragic deaths of a 23-year-old mother and her three-year-old son in an open drain in east Delhi’s Ghazipur area.
The petitioners are also urged the court to mandate a thorough audit of all ongoing drain construction projects in the national capital, emphasising the need for stringent flood mitigation measures to prevent such tragedies fro m recurring.
The court has listed the matter for hearing on August 5. On Wednesday evening, Tanuja and her son Priyansh, were killed from falling into an open drain after heavy rains left the streets clogged, obscuring them.
The plea urged the high court to issue an appropriate writ/order/ direction(s) to concerned authorities and the Delhi government to fix accountability of the erring contractor(s) and official(s) responsible for the negligence leading to the tragic incident involving Tanuja and her son Priyansh and to provide adequate compensation to the families of the deceased.
“Issue appropriate writ/order/ direction(s) to the respondents to frame and adopt policies to address and mitigate the mayhem of flood-like situation in Delhi due to rainfall and further to cover all open drains in Delhi with immediate effect with proper signage educating the public to stay away from the drains,” the plea read.
“Direct the respondents to conduct a comprehensive audit of all ongoing drain construction projects in Delhi and ensure proper safety measures are in place, including but not limited to barricades, warning signs, and adequate lighting,” the petitioners added.
‘Mitigate woes’
Petiotioners urged the high court to issue directions to the authorities to adopt policies to mitigate the woes of the people in flood-like situations in Delhi after heavy rains, also demanding that all open drains in the national capital are immediately covered. The plea also sought a comprehensive audit of all ongoing drainage projects and ensure that safety measures are in place