NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the Haiderpur area in Shalimar Bagh on Tuesday to meet the families of two children who tragically drowned in the Munak Canal. The CM expressed her condolences and assured the grieving families of the government’s support during this difficult time.
Gupta announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the deceased children, Aniket (9) and Krishan Kumar (13). She directed officials to expedite the process of delivering the compensation as quickly as possible. “We stand firmly with the families in their sorrow,” the CM said.
According to police, the incident took place on Sunday afternoon when the two boys, residents of a nearby jhuggi cluster, went for a swim in the Haiderpur Drain.
Despite being familiar with the area, the boys were caught in a strong current and were unable to escape. Their fathers, who were at work at the time, returned home to find their children missing. After an exhaustive search, the police were alerted, and with the help of locals, the bodies were recovered from the canal, the officials said.
“The bodies were transferred to BJRM Hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival,” DCP (Northwest) Bhisham Singh said.
Aniket, police said, is survived by his two elder brothers and father. Krishan is survived by his father and three siblings — an elder brother, a younger brother and sister. Both children lost their mothers at a young age, police said.
The chief minister also instructed authorities to enforce stricter safety measures around canals and other hazardous areas to prevent future accidents.
“Efforts are already underway to secure the Munak Canal,” she said. This incident marks the fourth drowning death in Delhi in just one week. On Friday, a 14-year-old boy drowned in the Yamuna floodwaters in Shastri Park while attempting to catch fish.