On Thursday, the Delhi High Court directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to pay Rs 20 lakh as compensation to the legal heirs of a mother and her three-year-old son who died after falling into an open, waterlogged drain in the Ghazipur area of Delhi in July.
Initially, the counsel for the DDA offered Rs 15 lakh as compensation to the victims’ family. However, a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan suggested that Rs 20 lakh should be paid instead, citing it as the “norm.” The DDA’s counsel agreed to the higher amount as a humanitarian gesture, while maintaining that it did not admit any liability. The bench, also comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, recorded this agreement in its order.
The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Jhunnu Lal Srivastava, a resident of Mayur Vihar Phase 3, seeking action against the contractor and DDA officials for alleged negligence leading to the deaths of Tanuja (22) and her son Priyansh. The two drowned in a partially open, under-construction drain on a waterlogged street in east Delhi’s Ghazipur area during heavy rains on the evening of July 31.
The Delhi Police informed the court that a draft charge sheet had been prepared in the criminal case related to the deaths, and the final charge sheet would be filed upon receiving sanction from the competent authorities to prosecute those responsible. The police’s counsel had previously told the court that a DDA contractor had left the drain uncovered after conducting some work at the site.
Given the authorities’ stance, the court decided no further orders were required and closed the proceedings in the matter. The court also took on record the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) assurance that all repair, redevelopment, and construction work in the area where the incident occurred would be completed by December.
After reviewing photographs of the drains, the court noted that the site was “still quite dirty” and instructed the civic body to clean it, especially given the ongoing spread of dengue in Delhi.
Last month, the court had criticized the DDA over the deaths, noting that its officials failed to “supervise” the work carried out by the contractor, who had allegedly left portions of the drain uncovered. It had then asked the DDA counsel to seek instructions on compensation for the victims’ family before the next hearing date.
