Probe blames MCD, fire department for civil services aspirants' drowning in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A magisterial probe into the drowning of three civil services aspirants in the flooded basement of a coaching centre’s building in Old Rajinder Nagar has claimed severe lapses by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the fire department. The report submitted to Delhi Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot on Wednesday stated that the lackadaisical approach and callous conduct of civic body’s officials in Karol Bagh Zone, including not removing the encroachments obstructing the stormwater drains on both sides of the Bada Bazar Marg and failing to de-silt them, resulted in quick flooding of the basement within ten minutes. “The failure to seal the basement after the issue of misuse notice and not even mentioning the same in the showcause notice and misleading the deputy commissioner of the factual position appears to be deliberate misconduct on the part of the concerned engineers of the building department of MCD,” the report said. On the fire department, the report stated, “The building did require the fire department’s NOC as it was being used for educational purposes and was more than nine metres high.” “The fire department also failed to refer to the misuse of the building’s basement as a library to the MCD during an inspection on July 1 this year,” the report added.