Killer pit in Janakpuri dug only a day ago; on Jan 24, DJB CEO had ordered officials to ensure ‘no Noida-like incident’ at Jal Board sites

Two methods are being used to carry out the work, Sood said — one involves trenchless rehabilitation through parallel bypassing of flow; the other involves inserting a rehabilitation liner or tube inside the existing sewer to make it leakproof for around 25 years.

Following the tragedy, the Delhi government suspended three DJB officials – an executive engineer, an assistant engineer, and a junior engineer – associated with the project, and ordered a high-level probe to fix responsibility.

About a fortnight ago, DJB’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kaushal Raj Sharma had issued an internal order warning that a “Noida-like accident must not happen at DJB sites”, and directed that all construction sites should be properly barricaded, and all safety norms should be followed strictly.

Less than a month ago, a 27-year-old software engineer drowned in a water-filled pit in an abandoned construction site in Noida’s Sector 150. The Uttar Pradesh government removed the CEO of Noida Authority after the incident.

In his order issued on January 24, the DJB CEO instructed all executive engineers of the Maintenance and Project divisions to ensure that all public safety protocols, including the installation of reflector tapes, green mesh, signboards, and lane markers, at every small and large construction site.

The order had warned that in case of any lapse, the junior engineer or area engineer concerned would be held accountable, along with the executive engineer.

The order also said that compliance reports should be submitted for each DJB project, and that senior officers should carry out surprise inspections of the sites.

Following Thursday night’s incident, the Delhi government said that the district magistrate, sub-divisional magistrate, joint commissioner of police (Traffic), and deputy commissioner of police concerned would inspect the site along with senior officials of the Public Works Department on Saturday, and issue directions for further action.

The DJB claimed in an official statement that preliminary investigations showed that the road on which work was underway had been closed with barricades and green mesh, and that the pit too, had been protected with green mesh.

“A committee has been formed to conduct a detailed investigation into the circumstances of the incident and compliance with prescribed public safety standards, and will submit its report by this (Friday) evening,” it said.

In a post on X, Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said DJB has constituted a high-level inquiry committee to carry out a transparent investigation.

“The committee has been directed to inspect the accident site immediately and review safety arrangements, barricading, signage and traffic management,” he said.

The Minister added in the post that the committee would verify compliance with all safety norms, fix responsibility for any lapses, and recommend strict corrective and disciplinary action.