New Delhi, Oct 10 (UNI) Taking suo motu cognizance of a media report that a five-year-old boy died after falling into an open drain in the Alipur area of North West Delhi, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday issued notices seeking a report from the Delhi Chief Secretary, the Delhi Police, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Municipal Corporation.
The commission asked them to submit a detailed report related to the matter within four weeks.
“The report is expected to include the status of the first information reports (FIRs) in all such cases, action taken against the responsible officials, and compensation, if any, paid to the next of kin of the deceased,” the NHRC said in the notice.
The Commission also asked inquired about the steps taken or proposed by the authorities to stop the recurrence of such incidents.
“Reportedly, the contractor, who worked there, had left the drain open at various places without placing any warning signs. This is the fifth such incident in the national capital in the recent months,” the NHRC said.
The Commission said that the contents of the news report about the instant case and similar incidents in the recent past, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the victims due to apparent negligence of the civic authorities, it said.
“It is indeed very concerning that such incidents indicating negligence by the public authorities continue to happen in the national capital. Many human lives were reported lost due to drowning and electrocution in Delhi of which it had taken suo motu cognizance and asked the authorities to be vigilant,” the NHRC added.
According to an earlier media report, carried on October 8, a two-and-a-half-year-old girl lost her life after falling into an open drain in northeast Delhi’s Khajuri Khas. In September, a 32-year-old man died after falling into an open drain in northeast Delhi’s Bhajanpura.
In August, the body of a seven-year-old boy was found in an open drain in northwest Delhi’s Ashok Vihar. Again in August, a man died after falling into a drain in the Paschim Vihar area.
In July, the death of a woman and her son in a drain in east Delhi’s Ghazipur kicked up a big storm. Another person died after his car fell into a drain in north Delhi’s Burari in the same month.
