The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
East Delhi drowning: L- G, AAP govt spar over ownership of drain; HC to hear PIL Monday
The AAP Delhi government and LG VK Saxena’s office Friday sparred over the ownership of an open drain in which a woman and her son drowned in East Delhi.
Even as the AAP announced it would protest outside Raj Niwas to compel Saxena to acknowledge his responsibility in the matter, given the connection of the drain to the Delhi Development Authority ( DDA) which he chairs, Saxena termed the allegations “patently false, deliberately misleading and blatantly improper”.
AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai said, “It is very unfortunate that when a mother and son died after falling into the open drain of DDA between Mayur Vihar Phase 3 and Khoda Colony of UP, the BJP government at the centre, its seven MPS in Delhi and its L- G are silent on this.”
“Wherever we have responsibility, we are standing there fighting for the people with full strength. But the L- G should tell whether he has no responsibility for this negligence of DDA?... If the mother and child have died due to the negligence of DDA, then action will have to be taken against those responsible,” he added.
The L- G's Secretariat, in response, said the drain in which the incident occurred at Khoda Colony belonged to the MCD under the AAP. According to the L- G’s Secretariat, the total length of the drain is 1,350 meters of which 1,000 meters falls in the MCD’S jurisdiction and had been handed over to it on April 17 last year while the rest was under the DDA.
“DDA had de- silted its portion of the drain recently and covered it with RCC slabs... DDA had also installed steel screen at the MCDDDA junction of the drain, to block garbage flow,” it stated.
“The bodies were recovered at the junction point of MCD and DDA drain... The 1,0 0 0- metre long drain in MCD’S jurisdiction is uncovered and has not been desilted... It is unfortunate to say the least that the AAP and its leaders have once again indulged in shameless blame game even in the wake of tragedies involving death,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court is expected to hear on August 5 a plea seeking action against officials for the deaths.