Three students allegedly died and several were trapped, after a nearby drain burst which led to flooding in the basement of a UPSC coaching institute in Old Rajinder Nagar on July 27, a Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official said.
Videos of the area showed Rau’s IAS Study Circle in old Rajinder Nagar completely flooded, with rescuers struggling to pump out the water.
According to a DFS official, they received a call about students trapped inside the basement around 7 p.m. “The caller said that children were trapped inside a completely flooded basement of a UPSC coaching institute in Old Rajinder Nagar, following which 5 fire tenders were immediately sent,” the official said.
Rescue operation underway for missing students after a nearby drain burst caused flooding at the basement of a UPSC coaching centre, in Delhi’s Old Rajendra Nagar on July 27, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI
Teams of Delhi Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the DFS rushed to the spot.
According to DCP (Central) M. Harshvardhan, there was waterlogging in the area and adjacent buildings due to heavy rainfall. “It appears that the basement got flooded quickly due to which people were stuck in the basement. However, we are investigating how the basement flooded so quickly,” said the DCP. Further, he said the rescuers are facing considerable difficulty in carrying out the rescue operation.
Rescue operation underway for missing students after a nearby drain burst caused flooding at the basement of a UPSC coaching centre, in Delhi’s Old Rajendra Nagar on July 27, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI
Taking cognisance of the incident, the Delhi Government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
“Delhi Fire Department and NDRF are on the spot. Delhi Mayor and local MLA are also there. I am taking updates of the incident every minute. Orders have been given for a magisterial inquiry into how this incident happened. Whoever is responsible for this incident will not be spared,” Delhi Revenue Minister Atishi said in a post on social media platform X, in Hindi.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that this mishap was caused due to the non-cleaning of drains. The drain water backflowed into the basement of the coaching centre at a very high speed, he said.
“Delhi Government’s criminal negligence is responsible for this mishap. Jal Board Minister Ms. Atishi & local MLA Durgesh Pathak should take responsibility and resign,” Mr. Sachdeva said.
Waterlogging is a major problem in Delhi every monsoon and one of the main reasons is that the city’s current drainage master plan was drawn up in 1976 when its population was around 60 lakh.
(With inputs from PTI)
