Delhi woman, son dies after falling into open drain, she held him in death


Tanuja Bisht (23) and her son Priyansh (3) died after falling into an open drain during rain.

New Delhi:

In a heartbreaking incident that once again raised questions about civic negligence endangering the lives of Delhi residents, a 23-year-old woman and her three-year-old son died after falling into a drain during the rains in the national capital last evening.

Tanuja Bisht had gone to the weekly market in Gazipur with her three-year-old sweetheart and was on her way back when it started raining. The road is waterlogged, Tanuja falls into the open drain with her son. Hours later, two bodies were recovered about 500 meters apart, the mother still holding her son’s hand.

Mother and son could have been saved if a quick rescue operation was carried out, said the family members of the woman. Her husband Gobind Singh, who works in a private firm in Noida, was at work at the time of the disaster.

He said, “My wife and son could have been saved if the rescue operation was quick. Even though such incidents happen every year, no action is taken.”

Tanuja’s uncle Harish Rawat said the drain was overflowing and he did not see it in time. “We got the information around 7:30 pm. We dialed 100 and the police came with a rescue team. But they didn’t have proper equipment. They kept trying, but it didn’t work. The bodies were recovered after more than two hours.”

He said they took Tanuja and Priyansh to the hospital in a private cab, against the hope that they would make it. “We took them to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital. No ambulance was arranged.”

Mr. Rawat said Tanuja did not leave her son’s hand even in death. “When the body was found, he was still holding her,” he said.

Local residents slammed the civic authorities saying the drain has been open for the past three months and overflows every monsoon. “We have complained several times, but the administration does not want to act. I have lived here for 20 years and every monsoon I have seen flooded roads. We have approached MPs, MLAs, officials, but nothing has worked,” said a resident. He also said that if any drain is under construction, it is the responsibility of the administration to cover it. “The drain was open and overflowing, the woman did not see it and fell in. Had the drain been closed, she would have survived. She died senselessly,” he said.

The Delhi Municipal Corporation said the under-construction drain is under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Development Authority.

A total of 11 deaths were reported in the national capital in rain-related incidents after yesterday’s rains.

The drain tragedy comes amid widespread outrage over civic negligence in the national capital. Every spell of rain chokes Delhi, thanks to blocked drains and illegal construction. A week ago, three IAS candidates died after a basement flooded in Rajinder Nagar. Rau’s IAS study circle had a library in the basement and students were trapped inside when water entered.



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