NEW DELHI: Days after New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) chairman Manoj Kumar Dwivedi apologised for waterlogging in parts of Lutyens’ Delhi following heavy rain, the civic body has suspended an executive engineer for alleged dereliction of duty, officials said.
The action followed a meeting convened by Delhi PWD Minister and NDMC ex-officio member Parvesh Saheb Singh on August 27 to review the waterlogging situation with senior civic officials, they said.
Officials said the engineer was held responsible for dereliction of duty in connection with the prolonged waterlogging. They added that further strict action against other officials could be taken in the coming days as the civic body examines the circumstances that led to the situation.
The development comes a week after heavy rain left several prominent stretches of the NDMC area waterlogged, including Mandir Marg, the outer circle of Connaught Place and Sansad Marg. More than 100 mm of rain was recorded in the capital during the spell.
Dwivedi had publicly apologised for the waterlogging and acknowledged that the civic body’s response had fallen short. In a post on X, he said more than 72 mm of rain had been recorded in less than two hours, describing the intensity as unexpected. However, he said the heavy rainfall could not be an excuse and stressed the need to strengthen the civic body’s systems to deal with such situations in the future.
Dwivedi had also said that while waterlogging in the NDMC area is usually cleared within 15 to 20 minutes, it had persisted for more than an hour at three to four locations on August 26 despite efforts by the civic body. “I sincerely apologise to everyone in NDMC area who faced difficulties due to water logging instances on 25th August 2026,” he had said.
The chairman had assured residents that the civic body would strengthen its systems to prevent a recurrence. The latest suspension comes as the NDMC reviews its preparedness to intense spells of rainfall. Officials said accountability could be fixed on other officials as well, depending on the findings of the review.
