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Delhi HC forms panel to review capital's infrastructure
The panel will be headed by the Delhi government’s chief secretary, Naresh Kumar.
The Delhi High Court on Friday constituted a committee to review the capital's administrative, physical, and financial infrastructure.
The panel will be headed by the Delhi government’s chief secretary, Naresh Kumar. Other panel members will include the vice chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the chairman of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and the commissioner of police.
“It is no wonder that Delhi is going from one crisis to another. One day, there is a draught problem; another day, it is flooded," the court remarked. If the water in Monsoon had been properly stored, there would be no issue of draught next year. The administrative, physical, and financial infrastructure of Delhi needs to be relooked at," the court remarked.
The panel has been asked to submit its report within four weeks.
The development comes as the Delhi HC transferred the probe into the deaths of three civil services aspirants at Rau's IAS Study Circle in Old Rajender Nagar to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The court directed the central vigilance commissioner to appoint an officer to monitor the CBI probe and ensure that the is conducted on time.
The bench noted that the physical infrastructure in Delhi such as drains is not even adequate but also poorly maintained and the recent tragedies have shown that its orders to the civic agencies are not being followed in true letter and spirit and are being treated like “water off a duck’s back.”
The court also reprimanded the Delhi Police over their decision to arrest a driver in connection with the case.
Manuj Kathuria, a 50-year-old businessman, drove his sports utility vehicle (SUV) through a rain-flooded street in central Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar, allegedly causing water to surge and breach the gates of the three-storey Rau’s IAS Study Circle building, flooding its basement.
The court remarked that Kathuria was merely passing by and called the action of the Delhi Police unfair.
“Mercifully, you have not challaned rainwater for entering into basement…” the court said.
IAS civil servants death
The civil services aspirants – Shreya Yadav of Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Navin Dalwin from Ernakulam in Kerala – died on July 27 evening after they were trapped inside the library running in the basement of Old Rajinder Nagar-based Rau's IAS Study Circle, which was flooded due to rain.
Aspirants from different coaching centres have been staging a dharna in front of Rau's Study Circle since Sunday. Some students also started a hunger strike on Tuesday against the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to press their demands.
Also Read | Delhi UPSC aspirants' deaths: What are demands of students sitting on hunger strike?
So far, the Delhi Police has arrested seven people in connection with the case. These include the CEO-owner of Rau’s Study Circle, the centre’s coordinator, four owners of the basement and the driver of an SUV.
