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One killed after entering storm water drain in Shakurpur, probe launched
New Delhi
New Delhi
A 35-year-old man died and three others fell unconscious, but were rescued, after they entered a storm water drain in northwest Delhi’s Shakurpur on Saturday morning.
Police said they have arrested two men for negligence. As the drain was maintained by the Delhi government’s Public Works Department (PWD), a departmental enquiry has been initiated to probe the matter and a detailed report will be submitted on Monday, said a senior PWD official.
PWD minister Satyendar Jain sought an inquiry report from PWD’s engineer-in-chief and announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family of the deceased worker.
According to the police, around 11am, a call was received at Subhash Place police station about four men who had fallen unconscious after they entered a drain in F Block, Shakurpur. Deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Vijayanta Arya said a police team was immediately rushed to the spot.
“We found at the spot that some cleaning work was being carried out by a PWD contractor and four persons — Ashok (35), Gore Lal (35), Rohit (30) and Sai (50) — had gone into the drain and fallen unconscious. They were all pulled out and rushed to Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital in Pitampura where the doctors pronounced Ashok dead. Others were admitted in ICU for treatment and are under observations,” Arya said.
Police said the families of the men were informed and Ashok’s body was sent for post-mortem examination.
The DCP said a case under IPC 304 was registered for culpable homicide not amounting to murder based on the statement of the men. “Two men found responsible for negligence during preliminary probe, Raj Kumar (27) and one Babloo (45), have been arrested. “We are questioning them to find out who had asked the labourers to get into the drain, without proper safety gear,” she said.
A senior PWD officer, who did not wish to be identified, said that a departmental enquiry has been started to ascertain who allowed the workers to go inside the storm water drain.
“The superintending engineer and the executive engineer of the area have been asked to probe the matter and submit a detailed report on Monday in this connection,” he said.
The officer said, these were the contractual workers who were engaged with the department’s ‘maintenance van’ staff. “Prima facie it appears that the workers had gone there on some telephonic complaint and the private contractor might have asked them to go inside the drain. The ‘maintenance van’ usually takes care of small repair works. They do not have the mandate to enter drains for desilting as it is done by the department through mechanical means and after floating proper tenders,” he added.
Separately, an SDM inquiry has also been initiated. PWD minister Jain has also ordered a probe into who called the maintenance van, to find out the nature of complaint, to probe how the worker went in the open drain and to look into other related aspects of the incident.
On Saturday, Jain also went to Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital to inquire about the well-being of injured workers and directed best treatment for the workers.
