Open drain ‘serious safety hazard’: Delhi High Court tells MCD to fix it now
The Delhi High Court has warned the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) that an open drain in Okhla poses a serious safety hazard to residents and commuters. In an August 24 order, the court instructed the MCD to cover the drain with slabs and construct a separator wall without waiting for formal permissions. A recent incident saw a 15-year-old boy fall into the drain while trying to catch a kite and was recovered 500 meters away four days later.
In March, the court had already directed the MCD to build a separator wall between the drain and the road in Okhla, after it identified a key road in Shaheen Bagh, Okhla, turning into an open sewer. The MCD had installed reflectors and lights in the area but still needed a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department for the separator wall construction.
The court emphasized the urgency of the matter and directed the MCD to undertake continuous desilting of the drain and cleaning of the surrounding area.
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