The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken serious notice of recent incidents in Delhi and its neighboring cities, involving multiple deaths due to drowning and electrocution. The NHRC has issued notices to the Delhi government, the vice chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and authorities in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
According to the NHRC, these incidents highlight negligence by civic authorities, which is deeply concerning. A media report stated that at least 13 people lost their lives in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) amid heavy rains. Among these, six died due to electrocution, and four drowned after falling into overflowing drains, exposing the inadequate infrastructure and civic negligence in these areas.
In response, the NHRC has taken action on its cognisance of these reports. Previously, the NHRC had also noted similar incidents of drowning and electrocution in Delhi, indicating a recurring issue of negligence by the authorities. The rights panel emphasized that these deaths if the reports are true, represent a severe violation of the victims’ human rights.
As a result, the NHRC has issued notices to several officials, including the Delhi chief secretary, the vice chairman of the DDA, the Delhi police commissioner, the district magistrate, and the commissioner of police in Gurugram, Haryana, as well as the district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. These officials are required to submit detailed reports on the incidents within four weeks.
The NHRC has requested these reports to include the status of any FIRs registered, actions taken against the responsible officials, and any compensation provided to the victims’ families. Additionally, the NHRC wants to know what measures have been or will be taken to prevent such tragic incidents from occurring again.
According to the news report from August 2, many of these deaths occurred after heavy rains on July 31. For example, a 23-year-old woman and her three-year-old son tragically drowned after falling into an overflowing drain in east Delhi’s Ghazipur area. The rescue operation was reportedly delayed due to a “jurisdictional dispute” between the police of Delhi and Ghaziabad.
Another incident involved a 12-year-old boy in Delhi’s Dwarka area, who was electrocuted while playing in a waterlogged area. In Gurugram, Haryana, a 44-year-old man drowned in a stormwater drain in Bhondsi, and three pedestrians were electrocuted while walking on a waterlogged road near IIFCO Chowk.
In Dadri, Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, an elderly couple died when a wall collapsed on their make-shift accommodation due to heavy rain.
The NHRC’s intervention aims to address these serious issues and hold the responsible authorities accountable for their negligence, ensuring that such preventable tragedies do not happen in the future.
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