MCD demolishes illegal encroachments following deaths of IAS aspirants
NEW DELHI: Following the death of three IAS aspirants at a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday carried out a demolition drive to raze illegal encroachments in the area.
Two bulldozers were deployed to excavate the footpaths on both sides of Bada Bazar Road which covered up the drains outside the coaching institutes.
The MCD said that storm drains had been covered by encroachers in the area and this led to waterlogging and rainwater entering the basement of the coaching centre.
“Encroachments covering stormwater drains, due to which its cleaning was not easy, are to be demolished,” MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar said.
The civic body said that obstruction of storm drains meant to handle heavy rains was one of the major causes for the incident. “This coaching centre and other buildings along the road have unfortunately encroached and covered the storm drains by extending their buildings in the form of platforms and ramps, thereby making draining of water difficult and cleaning of drains impossible,” the civic body said in a statement,” the MCD said in a statement.
Encroachments were also cited as a major hurdle to the de-silting of drains by MCD officials after heavy rainfall submerged parts of the national capital on June 28.
The civic body on Sunday sealed 13 illegal coaching centres in the area.
Rau’s IAS Study Circle, where the three students were killed on Saturday after its basement was flooded due to rain, has already been sealed by police.
Meanwhile, Mayor Shelly Oberoi held an emergency meeting with the civic body officials over the incident. The MCD commissioner, Delhi Jal Board chief executive officer and the public works department principal secretary were present at the meeting.
File inquiry report: Atishi to top bureaucrat
Delhi Revenue minister Atishi on Monday flagged the delay in submission of magisterial inquiry report on the Rajinder Nagar coaching centre incident in a note to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar and directed him to submit the report by 10 pm. There was no immediate reaction from the Chief Secretary office. The minister said either “the officers of the Delhi government are not serious about enquiring into this tragedy, or they are trying to protect someone.”