Tragic Death of Teen Highlights Danger of Open Drain in New Delhi | Delhi News – Times of India

A thick layer of filth can be seen floating in the drain over which a bridge connects the two parts of the area

NEW DELHI: An unofficial garbage collection point is how one can describe the spot over an open drain passing through Rajendra Nagar Extension where 13-year-old Vikas fell and drowned on Friday afternoon. A thick layer of filth can be seen floating in the drain over which a bridge connects the two parts of the area made up of unauthorised colonies and urban village areas.
On Saturday, TOI was informed by the locals that the foul-smelling drain with murky green water hadn’t been cleaned for months altogether. Concerned that such an incident had happened in a residential area, the residents expressed frustration at the lack of maintenance by the local civic authorities.
Kusum Yadav, who has a house along the drain, revealed that the boy could not be pulled out because of the sludge the filled the drain to the brim. “I was at home when I heard people shouting about some falling into the drain. Many people gathered there. They tried to help the boy, gauging the depth of the drain with sticks, but all the attempts were to no avail,” said Yadav.
When TOI wanted to know where the exact incident site, the locals couldn’t pinpoint the spot due to lack of any police marking or barricading. All along the drain, the land was covered by layers of silt and muck that had dried up over time. Garbage had been thrown over the silt at many places.
“Despite repeated complaints to the local agencies, no action was taken to cover the drain. This tragic accident could have been prevented,” said Sanjeev Sharma, a resident of Rajendra Nagar Extension, with the others standing with him nodding in agreement. “Of course, this is not the first such incident. Both humans and animals have perished in the drain and yet the authorities haven’t done anything to prevent such accidents.”
When Vikas slipped into the drain around 3.45pm on Friday, a man jumped in to try and save the teenager. He couldn’t do so and even when police arrived, they too were unable to help the boy. Almost an hour later, Delhi Fire Service personnel arrived with special equipment and fished out the body around 6pm.
Vikas, a Class VI student at Sanskriti Public School, lived in Gali No. 18 at Nangloi Extension. The house was locked on Saturday and TOI was informed that the family had left for Bhiwani district in Haryana to perform the last rites.
“This drain has been a hazard for a long time. I hope this gets highlighted now,” said Pinki, who lives in the same building as Vikas’ family. “We have to be very alert with our children and prevent them from venturing too close to the drain. The boy belonged to a decent family. He was the older of two sons.” According to other neighbours, the teenager’s father, Randhir Singh, is in the transport business and the family had moved to the locality just three months ago.
The community is now urging Delhi govt to take immediate steps to prevent such tragedies in the future. They demanded the installation of safety barriers and regular maintenance checks to ensure the safety of residents, particularly children. The youngster’s death highlighted the urgent need for improved infrastructure and accountability from the local authorities to prevent further tragedies.
PWD stated that the drain did not fall under its purview, as claimed by Delhi Police earlier. “This open drain is not under our jurisdiction,” said a PWD official on Saturday. “We got the status checked when examining the site of the incident last night. The drain belongs to the irrigation & flood control department.” I&FC officials did not respond to TOI’s queries in the matter.