NEW DELHI: A day after three civil services aspirants lost their lives due to flooding in the basement of their coaching institute, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) began a significant operation to dismantle illegal encroachments in Old Rajendra Nagar, a prominent coaching hub in the national capital. On Monday, bulldozers were deployed to demolish a footpath constructed by covering a sewer outside the affected institute.
In a decisive move, Delhi Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ashwani Kumar terminated the local Junior Engineer (JE) and suspended the Assistant Engineer (AE). This marks the first substantial action taken against officials in the wake of the tragic incident.
The tragic incident occurred on Saturday night when heavy rain caused the basement of Rau's IAS centre, which housed a library, to flood. The flooding reportedly led to the failure of the single biometric entry and exit point, trapping three civil services aspirants—two females and one male—who tragically drowned.
In response to the incident, the MCD had already sealed 13 illegally operated basements of coaching centres in Old Rajinder Nagar on Sunday. According to an MCD statement, these coaching centres were found to be in violation of regulations by operating in basements.
The MCD had previously conducted a survey of coaching centres following a massive fire at an institute in Mukharjee Nagar, another coaching hub in north Delhi, last year. This survey aimed to identify and address violations of safety norms.
The MCD is also forming a high-level committee to investigate the flooding incident at the coaching centre. An MCD official highlighted the gross negligence on the part of the institute's owner, stating that the students might have escaped if the exit had been free. The official pointed out that while the MCD approves building plans, ensuring compliance when basements are misused for commercial activities instead of the declared parking and storage purposes remains a challenge.
The operation to clear illegal encroachments and the suspension of officials signify the MCD's commitment to addressing the negligence that led to this tragic incident. Further investigations and measures are expected to ensure that such incidents are prevented in the future.
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