Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday met the families of two children who drowned in Munak canal in her assembly constituency, Shalimar Bagh, and announced Rs 5 lakh each as compensation to the kin of the deceased.
The Delhi government will provide an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased children and directed the officials to initiate the process of releasing the financial assistance, said a statement from the chief minister’s office. She also instructed the officials to ensure strict safety measures at canals and other sensitive locations to prevent such accidents in the future. Efforts have already begun to secure the area around the Munak Canal to avoid similar incidents, it added. The two boys, Aniket (9) and Krishan Kumar (13), were residents of slums near the Ayurvedic Hospital in Shalimar Bagh. Police said the boys accidentally slipped into the canal and drowned on Sunday afternoon.
The chief minister instructed officials to ensure strict safety measures at canals and other sensitive locations in order to prevent such accidents in the future. She stated that efforts have already begun to secure the area around the Munak Canal to avoid similar incidents. “At present, the responsibility for the canal’s maintenance lies with the Haryana Government. We are in discussions with the Haryana Government so that the maintenance responsibility may be transferred to us. Once that happens, railings will be installed on both sides of the Munak Canal to ensure public safety while allowing the canal to flow without obstruction,” she said.
