Locals protest deaths in pit

The protesters blocked GT Karnal Road in Timarpur and threw stones,leading the police to use force to disperse them. An officer said some policemen and locals were injured but none were serious.

Vikas,8; brothers Atul,7,and Ritesh,9; and Narender,8 — all residents of Gopalpur village in the area — had died after they fell in the pit,15 feet deep,on Friday afternoon.

The site where the mishap took place was,till recently,used by a private contractor for a project to replace and shift a 1,100-mm main pipeline from Wazirabad water treatment plant to Gopalpur. The pipeline had earlier reported several leakages.

Jal Board CEO Ramesh Negi on Saturday said: “The project site,administered by the Flood and Irrigation department,was chosen (for the project) since the earlier site had seen heavy encroachment. After successful completion of work,the site was handed back to the department on February 26.”

But the tragedy occurred since the pit was never covered and seepage from the pipeline filled it.

In a statement,the DJB said: “With a view to probe the unfortunate incident,DJB has instituted an inquiry to understand and rectify any existing systemic flaws. The inquiry,directed by DJB CEO Ramesh Negi,will be headed by Chief Engineer (Central and North Delhi) and will submit its report by Wednesday,March 10.”

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 1 lakh as relief to each victim’s family. “We want to inquire how the incident took place and how the children strayed there,” she said.

A case of criminal negligence has been registered at the Timarpur police station.