Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has ordered the suspension of an engineer and issued show cause notice to another of the Public Works Department (PWD) after the Minto Bridge underpass was flooded again due to heavy rainfall, said officials.
Late on Saturday night, the national Capital was battered with heavy rainfall and winds, which led to waterlogging in several areas.
“Delhi Chief Minister Gupta has ordered the suspension of the PWD junior engineer (electrical) for negligence. A show cause notice has also been issued to the assistant engineer (electrical), with a 48-hour deadline to respond,†an official statement said.
While a formal explanation has been sought from the executive engineer over flooding at the underpass, it added.
Last month, the Delhi Government had made junior engineers and assistant engineers local in-charges of waterlogging hotspots, including Minto Bridge.
“Any official responsible for disrupting public life due to dereliction of duty will face strict disciplinary action. Despite prior instructions, the concerned department failed to take timely preventive measures to ensure effective drainage, prompting the Government to initiate immediate accountability,†the statement further said.
According to officials, Chief Minister Gupta has directed all departments to ensure proper drainage systems are in place before the monsoon.
“She emphasised timely desilting and cleaning of drains and sewers, adding that nodal officers for waterlogging-prone areas will be held directly accountable for any further lapses,†the statement said.
The Minto Bridge underpass has been on the waterlogging hotspot list of PWD for the past several years. Despite many interventions made at the road, the problem remains the same.
