NEW DELHI: A few days after a 56-year-old man drowned in the waterlogged
Minto Bridge
underpass following a heavy
downpour
, Delhi government has decided to barricade roads leading to it if the water level rises to around 1.5 feet and file an FIR against anyone trying to violate the restriction.
In an office memorandum issued with the approval of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, the executive engineer (electrical) of the public works department, who is in charge of maintenance of the area, will not only have to ensure regular pumping under the bridge but also monitor the water situation round the clock during the rainy season so that no
waterlogging
takes place.
If the water level in the area rises above 45cm — about 1.5 feet — despite all preventive measures, PWD officials have been asked to ensure proper barricading of the roads leading to the
underpass
in coordination with Delhi Police to ensure that no vehicle or person can proceed under the bridge, the memorandum stated. If the level rises further, higher authorities will have to be informed immediately.
Kundan, from Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, drowned while trying to manoeuvre his vehicle out of the waterlogged underpass on Minto Road near Connaught Place on Sunday morning. He sat on the roof of the Tata Ace mini-truck to save himself, but the rising water level claimed his life.
The executive engineer (civil and electrical) has been made “personally responsible” for ensuring timely coordination among various agencies responsible to prevent waterlogging at this “critical” underpass. He has been asked to ensure regular coordination at the local level as services from the local body concerned and Delhi Police may be required.
However, the waterlogging at Minto Road was hardly a surprise, and was almost a repeat of what has been seen since the 1990s. A DTC bus and another vehicle also got submerged in the underpass barely an hour after the downpur. The fire department used a ladder to rescue three people from these two vehicles.