Delhi Water Minister Atishi directs Chief Secretary to seal all borewells after man dies falling into Jal Board Plant
Mar 10, 2024
New Delhi [India], March 10 : Delhi Water Minister Atishi on Sunday directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to seal all borewells in the city within 48 hours after a man died falling into Delhi Jal Board's sewage treatment plant in the Keshopur area.
In her letter to the Chief Secretary, Atishi also directed him to conduct a time-bound enquiry into the incident and take strong and exemplary action against any officers found responsible.
"A deeply unfortunate incident has taken place in Delhi today (Sunday), where someone has fallen into an abandoned borewell in the Keshopur Sewerage Treatment Plant. While this borewell was on land that had been handed over to Delhi Metro in 2020, nonetheless it is our responsibility to examine if any lapses have taken place on the part of the Delhi Jal Board, and to ensure that no such incident takes place in Delhi in the future," Atishi said in the letter to the Chief Secretary.
The Delhi Police said that the person's body was taken out at around 3 pm on Sunday. Efforts are being made to identify him, the police said.
"Directions have been given to Chief Secretary regarding the borewell incident in Keshopur STP: 1. Enquiry to be conducted in case of any lapse on part of DJB and strongest possible action to be taken 2. Welding and sealing of all abandoned borewells across Delhi in 48 hours," Atishi wrote on X.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also wrote on X that the Delhi Police and the DJB are investigating the matter to find out if there is any foul play.
According to an official, the circumstances surrounding the person's fall into the borewell remain unclear at this moment. He said a more accurate account of the incident could be given only after a thorough investigation.
Teams from the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Delhi Police participated in the rescue operation.
