MCD report: “Disruption of drainage system” to blame for UPSC aspirants’ deaths

NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and District Magistrate have submitted their reports regarding the deaths of three civil service aspirants in the basement of Rau’s IAS Circle in the Old Rajendra Nagar area. The reports were submitted to Naresh Kumar, Chief Secretary, on Tuesday, July 30.

The MCD report said that the institute was blocking the drainage system in the area. The magisterial inquiry said that the water level on the road and the entrance to the basement were at the same level. Due to this, the water thrown out of the basement with the help of a pump kept coming back inside.

The civic body report read, “This coaching institute has completely blocked the drainage system and also has not taken additional safeguards to meet such types of eventualities. The parking access to the institute is directly exposed to the road, and in case of heavy rain, instead of going into the stormwater drain, it enters directly into this parking area.”

The report also pointed out that the institute was not allowed to use the basement for purposes other than storage, as outlined in the Delhi Master Plan 2021. Apart from that, the entry gate to this basement had a biometric lock, which prevented the students from vacating the basement when water gushed in.

Although the civic body has not blamed anyone for the mishap, an assistant engineer and a junior engineer responsible for maintaining the drains in the area were suspended with immediate effect following the incident. An executive engineer was also served a show-cause notice regarding the incident.

The inquiry was started to look into the cause of the flooding in the basement, assign responsibility, and suggest what could be done to prevent any such accidents in the future. The district magistrate has asked for additional time for the detailed investigation.

Presiding over a petition seeking the formation of a high-level committee to probe the incident, the Delhi High Court directed the MCD commissioner, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), and investigating officer to appear in court on Friday. The court has also directed the local authority to remove all encroachments from the Old Rajendra Nagar area by Friday, August 2.