"Open drain where accident occurred falls under jurisdiction of MCD": DDA over woman-child duo falling in waterlogged drain in Ghazipur

New Delhi [India], August 4 : In response to various allegations over the death of a woman and her child after falling into a waterlogged drain in the Ghazipur area of East Delhi following heavy rainfall in the national capital, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said that the open drain where the accident occurred falls under the jurisdiction of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
"The allegation by MCD that the site of the incident (drain) pertains to DDA is wrong and a blatant attempt to shift responsibility. The document being circulated in the public domain after a press conference is an internal MCD paper that has neither been seen nor signed by any official of DDA," the press release from the DDA said.
A meeting was chaired by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Mayur Vihar about water logging prevention in Mayur Vihar sub-division, District East, on August 1, 2024, at the Gazipur police station in the presence of officials from DP, DDA, DDMA, PWD, DJB and MCD.
Following the meeting, water logging sites at various locations were visited. The team also visited the location claimed by the MCD as the accident spot.
According to the release, the DDA said that at no point did the DDA officials, either in writing or verbally, acknowledge/accept that the claimed accident spot pertains to the DDA. Therefore, the facts presented in the report of the Executive Engineer, MCD dated August 1, claiming that the DDA accepted that the site of the incident pertains to it, are entirely incorrect and a blatant attempt to shift responsibility.
This fact is corroborated by the Minutes of the Meeting circulated by the office of DM (EAST) (Annexure A), which contains no record of either acceptance by the DDA of ownership regarding the site in question or statement to that effect that the site belongs to DDA.
"The open drain where this unfortunate accident occurred falls under the jurisdiction of MCD. This drain in question along with 9.9 km of roads was transferred by the DDA to MCD in March 2023 by paying deficiency charges of Rs 26.05 crore. A signed copy of handing over/taking over between DDA and MCD is attached (Annexure B)," the press release said.
The drain which was transferred by the DDA to MCD starts from the left side of the Ambedkar gate to a further 1000 m towards the Golden Palace side.
The jurisdiction of DDA's 350-meter portion of the drain which is fully covered starts from the right side of the Ambedkar gate towards the Mayur Vihar phase III. The portion with MCD is uncovered.
The point of the accident as mentioned by the MCD (if the same is to be accepted) falls under the jurisdiction of the MCD i.e. approx 12 meters away from the starting point of the DDA Drain. However, according to residents and media reports, the mother and child tragically drowned in the MCD drain, approximately 500 meters upstream from where their bodies were discovered, the press release added.
Photographs being circulated to defame DDA by showing open portions of the slab-covered drain of the DDA portion, appear to have been taken after the drain covers were removed during the search operation, the DDA said.
As per the DDA release, the 350-meter section of the drain under the jurisdiction of DDA is fully covered, as evidenced by the enclosed photographs (Annexure C). In contrast, the 1000-meter section of the drain under the jurisdiction of MCD is in a severely deteriorated condition and remains uncovered, as shown in the enclosed photographs (Annexure D).
An independent DGPS survey has been carried out which clearly shows the jurisdiction between DDA (starting from the right side of the Ambedkar gate to Geo Hospital towards the Mayur Vihar phase III) and MCD (left side of the Ambedkar gate to a further approx. 1000 m towards the Khoda). The survey further confirms that the unfortunate accident point (as per MCD) also falls under MCD, it added.
This shifting of blame by the MCD based on a suitably self-created document devoid of facts, and inter-alia amounts to misleading the public and creating bad blood against DDA. MCD and others are requested to refrain from such devious exercise else DDA will be forced to take recourse to appropriate remedies, the press release said.
Meanwhile, according to the police, the deceased woman and her child who drowned after falling into a waterlogged drain were identified as Tanuja (22) and her child, Priyansh (3), residents of Prakash Nagar Khoda Colony, Ghaziabad.