Following the tragic death of three IAS aspirants due to drowning in the basement of a private coaching centre in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar area last week, Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav on Monday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take action. Yadav requested the government to grant compensation of ₹1 crore each to the families of the deceased. He also demanded stern action against those responsible for negligence. In a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, Yadav stated, “You are requested to direct the government to provide compensation of ₹ 1 crore each to the families of the deceased students and also fix responsibility for this incident and take strict action immediately.”
The three civil services aspirants, hailing from Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana, died on Saturday after the basement of a building housing a coaching centre in central Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar area was flooded following heavy rains. According to a report by news agency PTI citing officials, the absence of a drainage system and safety measures, and the use of the basement for commercial activities in violation of norms led to the deaths.
Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, has also called for a comprehensive inquiry into the matter and compensation for the families. He also highlighted the violation of safety codes. BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj blamed the AAP government’s “criminal negligence” and its “failure” to desilt drains ahead of the monsoon season for the incident. “The cause of death of these three students is the utter and absolute apathy of the AAP ruling dispensation in Delhi. Criminal negligence of the Aam Aadmi Party ruling dispensation in Delhi has caused the death of these students. For last 10 years, the AAP is enjoying power, but has not done anything for the welfare of the Delhi residents,” Swaraj said. She also pointed out that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been under the AAP for the past two years and is responsible for cleaning the drainage systems.
