AAP slams Delhi LG on death of mother, son in drain

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders on Saturday targeted lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena for kicking off a “blame game” which, they said, erroneously held Delhi’s elected government responsible for the drowning of a woman and her son in a drain near Mayur Vihar on July 31.
The AAP alleged that the LG’s “false claims were exposed” by the Delhi high court, which it said “reprimanded”, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for the deaths, and told it to pay ₹20 lakh compensation to the victim’s next of kin.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Delhi unit, meanwhile, hit back at the AAP alleging that the latter was “ignoring” nearly 40 rain-related deaths due to negligence by the city’s civic authorities, and instead choosing to indulge in “dirty politics” over a single matter.
The LG’s office has not responded to the AAP’s charges as of late Saturday night.
The matter in question took place on July 31, when 22-year-old Tanuja and her three-year-old son Priyansh died after they fell into the Ghazipur drain near Mayur Vihar Phase 3. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) alleged that the part of the drain where the incident occurred was under the jurisdiction of DDA, which, in return, alleged that the drain was under MCD’s jurisdiction. On September 5, the high court told DDA to pay ₹20 lakh as compensation to the legal heir of the two victims.
The matter became yet another flashpoint where AAP’s Delhi government and BJP’s central government clashed over blame and responsibility. While the MCD is controlled by the AAP, DDA comes under the control of the central government with the LG serving as its chairman.
AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar on Saturday said that the LG, in a letter on August 2, tried to shift the blame for the tragedy on the AAP and MCD, by alleging that the drain in question does not fall under DDA’s jurisdiction.
“On the evening of August 2, the LG’s office released a letter in which LG had said that AAP and its leaders are lying and that the drain does not belong to DDA. When the matter eventually reached the high court, then it became clear that the drain belonged to DDA. The high court reprimanded DDA officials, asking why there were no signboards, barricades, or warnings indicating that work was ongoing in such a 15-foot-deep drain… Two days ago, the high court finally declared compensation for the bereaved family and ordered the DDA to pay,” Kakkar said.
“The drain was under the jurisdiction of DDA, which was carrying out construction in the area. A 2.5-year-old child fell into the drain, and his mother, in an attempt to save him, also jumped in. Unfortunately, both tragically lost their lives,” Kakkar added.
HT reached out to LG’s office for comment on AAP’s allegations, however, did not receive a response till late at night.
“HC’s order shows that the BJP repeatedly avoids doing its work and LG only indulges in blame-game,” said Kakkar.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that the AAP is continuing “dirty politics” over compensation in an unfortunate incident, while “shamelessly ignoring” over 40 deaths in Delhi due to negligence by agencies such as PWD, MCD and others that are controlled by the AAP government. Kapoor demanded the resignation of PWD minister Atishi.
“This year has seen an abnormally high number of deaths – more than 40 children and young people have died – in monsoon due to drowning on roads, electrocution on roads, and in the unforgettable incident of Rajinder Nagar coaching centre. The callousness of power, PWD, and Jal Board minister Atishi in ensuring drain cleaning resulting in waterlogging across the city and failure to ensure safe electrical wiring on public electricity pillars is responsible for the deaths, and she must immediately resign taking moral responsibility,” said Kapoor.