Drain left open to kill again? Winter rain exposes Delhi’s civic negligence

NEW DELHI: A year-and-a-half after a mother and her three-year-old son drowned in an open drain near Ghazipur in east Delhi, the hazard remains unchanged continuing to overflow and threaten lives, with winter rain in Delhi on Thursday once again exposing the civic negligence. The drain, which flooded after the rain, continued to emit a foul stench, not to mention the daily risk, particularly for children walking to and from school. “We can’t even stand here because of the smell from this overflowing drain. Our daughters are risking their lives every day just to come back from school,” said Sushma Kumari, a resident of the area. On July 31, 2024, Tanuja Bisht (23) and her son, Priyansh, died after falling into the 1.5-foot-deep, waterlogged open drain amid heavy rain. The tragedy unfolded when the mother tried to rescue her child; their bodies were later found hours apart, still holding hands. The incident had sparked a major war of words between Delhi Development Authority and Municipal Corporation of Delhi, with both agencies disputing jurisdiction over the unbarricaded drain. The drain lies between Uttar Pradesh’s Khoda Colony and Delhi’s Mayur Vihar Phase-III. Most children from the area attend three Delhi govt schools in Kalyanpuri and Kondli. Residents say the drain becomes a recurring danger during every seasonal spell of rain. Incidentally, merely 10 days before the tragedy, MCD had assured Delhi High Court that it had started repair work in the area. More than a year later, the situation on ground tells another story.