New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) Taking note of the upcoming monsoon season, the Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Public Works Department (PWD) to sit together and sort out any issues regarding the connectivity and augmentation of stormwater drains in Old Rajinder Nagar area where three civil services aspirants drowned in the basement of a coaching centre last year.

A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela also cautioned the authorities against any negligence or lacuna, saying it would be viewed seriously.

The court, which was hearing a PIL regarding the deaths, asked the MCD and PWD to file a status report.

Three civil service aspirants Shreya Yadav, 25, of Uttar Pradesh; Tanya Soni, 25, from Telangana; and Nevin Delvin, 24, from Kerala died after the basement of the building housing Rau’s IAS Study Circle was flooded following heavy rain in central Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar on July 27 last year.

The counsel for MCD said while one road and its storm drain in the area fell within its jurisdiction, the others were of the PWD.

He said the water from these drains on the MCD road went to the PWD drains and if the augmentation of drains was not completed on account of the monsoon, the entire work would go to waste.

The counsel for the PWD assured the court that work was already going on as two tenders had been finalised and awarded.

“Just to address the apprehension that the ensuing monsoon may adversely impact the ongoing work, we direct a meeting shall be attended by the executive engineers of MCD and PWD departments. Please sit with them and address the issues,” said the court.

“We expect that in the meeting, issues shall be sorted and there will be no scope for any negligence. We also put caution to the MCD and PWD officials that if there is any negligence or lacuna in the ongoing work, it shall be viewed seriously,” it ordered.

The counsel for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a status report in a sealed cover and said that the investigation in the criminal case with respect to the deaths was complete and a supplementary chargesheet has been filed against three officials of the Fire Department and MCD.

The CBI counsel had said in an earlier hearing that charge-sheet had been filed against private individuals, including the coaching centre owner, and it was awaiting sanction for filing charge-sheet against public servants — junior engineer in the MCD and two other officials, divisional officer and assistant divisional officer of the Fire Department.

Holding that “those who do not work have to be held accountable”, the high court had on August 2 last year asked the MCD commissioner to ensure that administrative action was taken against officials who had been remiss in performing their duties including senior officials who failed to exercise their supervisory power.

Petitioner organisation, Kutumb, sought a high-level committee to investigate the deaths of three civil service aspirants in the basement of the flooded coaching centre. PTI ADS ADS KSS KSS