गाजीपुर में आधे खुले नाले में गिरने से एक महिला और उसके तीन साल के बेटे की मौत DDA देगा 20 लाख रुपये का मुआवजा।

DDA to pay Rs 20 lakh compensation to woman and her three-year-old son who died after falling into a half-open drain in Ghazipur

The development authority on Monday said its decision to pay a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the legal heirs of the woman and her three-year-old son who died after falling into a half-open under-construction drain in Ghazipur on July 31 was purely a “humanitarian move”, rejecting claims that it was responsible for the incident. The DDA statement comes two days after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) targeted the authority and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena - under whose jurisdiction the bodies fall - for the deaths. On July 31, 22-year-old Tanuja and her 3-year-old son Priyansh died after falling into the Ghazipur drain near Khoda Colony.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi alleged that the part of the drain where the incident took place falls under the jurisdiction of the DDA, which in turn alleged that the drain is under the jurisdiction of the MCD. Later on September 5, the DDA told the Delhi High Court that it would pay a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the legal heirs of the woman and her three-year-old son on humanitarian grounds without admitting any liability in connection with the incident. On Monday, the DDA in its statement said that the drain in which the woman and her son died belongs to the MCD. Allegations and misinformation are being spread about the DDA and the Lieutenant Governor in relation to the September 5 order of the Delhi High Court in the matter of the unfortunate incident

The DDA has submitted before the High Court its willingness to pay a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the legal heirs of the deceased persons without prejudice to its rights and contentions and without admitting any liability on its part, the statement said. The DDA's stand was that the open drain in which this unfortunate accident took place falls under the jurisdiction of the MCD. This drain along with 9.9 km of road was transferred by the DDA to the MCD in March 2023 by paying abatement charges of Rs 26.05 crore.

The DDA still maintains the same stance. However, the AAP maintained its stand and said the drain falls under the jurisdiction of the DDA. "The apathy of the Lt Governor of Delhi towards the people of Delhi is evident from the fact that he never bothered to visit the site. He refused to stand with the bereaved family by washing his hands of responsibility by claiming that the drain does not fall under the jurisdiction of the DDA. The tragic deaths took place where a large portion of the under-construction drain was left open," the AAP said in a statement.