Today, On 5th September, The Delhi High Court ordered the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to provide a compensation of Rs 20 lakh in connection with the deaths caused by an open drain in Ghazipur. The court’s decision comes after the tragic incident raised concerns about safety measures in the area.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to pay Rs 20 lakh in compensation to the legal heirs of a mother and her son, who tragically died after falling into a waterlogged open drain in July.
Initially, DDA’s counsel expressed willingness to offer Rs 15 lakh as compensation, but a bench led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan urged them to raise it to Rs 20 lakh, calling it the “norm.”
The court’s order stated,
“Counsel for the DDA said, without prejudice to its rights and contentions and without admitting any liability on its part, as a humanitarian gesture, it is willing to pay Rs 20 lakh to the legal heirs of the deceased, namely Tanuja and Priyansh.”
The court hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Jhunnu Lal Srivastava, a Mayur Vihar Phase 3 resident, seeking action against the contractor and DDA officials for alleged negligence leading to the deaths of Tanuja, aged 22, and her three-year-old son Priyansh.
The two drowned in a half-open, under-construction drain on a waterlogged street in Ghazipur, East Delhi, during heavy rains on the evening of July 31.
The Delhi Police informed the court that a draft charge sheet has been prepared in the criminal case regarding the deaths, and the final charge sheet will be filed once they receive the necessary approval from the competent authorities to prosecute the officials involved.
The police’s counsel had earlier informed the court that a contractor hired by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had left the drain uncovered at the location of the incident after performing some work there.
Considering the authorities’ stance, the court concluded that no further orders were required and closed the proceedings. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) also assured the court that all repair, redevelopment, and construction work in the area where the incident occurred would be completed by December.
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Upon reviewing photographs of the drains, the court remarked that the site was “still quite dirty” and urged the civic authorities to clean it, highlighting the spread of dengue in Delhi.
Last month, the court criticized the DDA for the deaths of the mother and her son, noting that officials had failed to “supervise” the contractor’s work, which allegedly left parts of the drain uncovered. The court instructed the DDA counsel to seek directions on compensating the victims’ family before the next hearing.
Earlier, the police informed the court that an FIR had been registered under section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for “causing death by negligence.”