The death of a 56-year-old driver, who drowned under the waterlogged Minto Bridge last Sunday, has triggered a significant policy decision seeking to prevent similar incidents in future like temporary shutting of the underpass and its vicinity during heavy downpours.
Such a decision will ensure that the underpass of the 87-year-old bridge will have restricted entry when the level of water goes beyond 45 centimetres, or around 1.5 feet. Moreover, a criminal case can be lodged against anyone trying to access it, or its vicinity, in such a condition.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has ordered the Public Works Department (PWD) Executive Engineer concerned to monitor the situation around the Minto Bridge throughout the monsoon, a Delhi government official said.
“A joint team headed by the PWD will also be at the core of a new Standard Operating Procedure where the underpass will be barricaded by the police every time the water level rises above 45 cm. Vehicular movement will be restricted and allowed to resume only after water is completely pumped out,” said the official.
Prompt action
“As soon as such a situation arises, the matter will be escalated to higher authorities, including the PWD Minister. If any commuter attempts to access the underpass or the area cordoned off while pumping the water, the engineer will file an FIR with Delhi Police,” the official also said
According to the official, the engineer had been directed to personally monitor the water-logging situation and its disposal through pumping on a 24x7 basis. The official was also directed to ensure that water doesn’t get accumulated for a long time, besides coordinating with the civic body and Delhi Police.
In the past the temporary closure of the underpass, one of the gateways between Old and Lutyens’ Delhi, occurred on its own due to waterlogging and not as a matter of policy, sources said.
According to an official, the policy of temporary closure of the underpass, instead of complete closure, which had been possible in the past, was no longer possible given the burgeoning vehicular population of the Capital and its critical location in the heart of the city.
