Ghazipur drain deaths AAP questions LG over delay in action against DDA officers

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday questioned the Lieutenant Governor over the alleged delay in action against the officers responsible for the death of mother-son pair in a waterlogged drain in east Delhi's Ghazipur last month.
     Addressing a press conference, AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar said the Delhi High Court has now said that the drain where the two drowned belonged to the DDA.
     "The High Court has taken a great initiative, which will be beneficial for the family of the deceased and the people of Delhi. This will also open the eyes of the LG and DDA officials.
    "Now that the truth has been revealed, how long will it take for the LG to take action against the DDA officials responsible for this incident," Kumar said.
     There was no immediate reaction from LG office.
     Tanuja, 22, and her son Priyansh drowned in the half-open under-construction drain in a waterlogged street in Ghazipur area as heavy rain lashed the city on July 31 evening.
     The high court had on Thursday pulled up the Delhi Development Authority over the incident and noted that officials did not "supervise" the work done there by the contractor, who allegedly left certain portions of the drain uncovered.
    "We were saying right from the first day that the drain belongs to the DDA that comes under LG, and before completing the construction work, they submitted the completion certificate (CC) without any inspection.
    "I am thankful to the High Court for taking note of the incident," Kumar said.     
     The Aam Aadmi Party party leader also accused the BJP of trying to "protect" the LG instead of taking corrective measures.
    "BJP leaders, including the east Delhi MP, neither visited the incident site nor went to the victims' house to meet the family. Instead, they released a statement saying that the drain was under the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) and that the responsibility lies with the Delhi government," he said.
    A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan asked the DDA's counsel to seek instructions on payment of compensation to the victim's family before the next hearing on September 5.
    "I respect what the court has said and hope it will serve as a deterrent. A small ray of light can dispel darkness, and that's what the court's observations have done," said AAP MLA Dilip Pandey.
    The party's chief whip in Delhi Assembly also demanded strict action against the responsible officers.
     "This will send a message that such incidents will not be tolerated in the future," he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)