AAP Minister Atishi Announces Compensation of Rs 10 Lakhs Each For Families of Delhi Rain Victims

New Delhi: In the aftermath of the torrential rains that occurred in parts of Delhi-NCR on June 28, Delhi Water Minister and AAP leader Atishi, on Sunday, announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakhs each to the families of Delhi rain victims. 

The Water Minister, who was recently on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the release of Delhi's share of water from Haryana, took to X to write, “Several deaths have been reported on 28th June, after extreme rainfall of 228mm in 24 hours. The families of all those who lost their lives will be given a compensation of ₹10 lakhs. Directions have been given that this compensation reaches the grieving families speedily.”

Besides, boosting manpower and equipment deployment to address waterlogging and keeping field units on high alert are among the steps taken by civic bodies amid a prediction of heavy rains in Delhi till Tuesday. The national capital was brought to its knees on Friday morning as 228.1 mm of rainfall on the first day of monsoon, the highest for June since 1936, submerged several parts of the city and claimed multiple lives. The IMD has predicted heavy rains in Delhi and has put the city on "orange alert" till July 2. 

An official in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said the civic body has ramped up manpower deployment to handle waterlogging complaints and is monitoring areas under Lutyens' Delhi through CCTV cameras. On Friday, the upscale Lutyens' Delhi area witnessed a flood-like situation as water entered the bungalows of many MPs. NDMC Vice-Chairman Satish Upadhyay said they have deployed four additional pumps on a standby basis at Golf Links and Bharti Nagar which witnessed excessive waterlogging on Friday. 

"Three super suction machines mounted on vehicles will keep patrolling the vulnerable areas. We have also deployed additional staff and cancelled the offs of all employees. "Each vulnerable area has been placed under one superintending engineer who has staffers with them to address issues. The NDMC central command and control room will monitor all vulnerable areas through CCTV cameras," Upadhyay told PTI. According to the NDMC, superintending engineers are now overseeing operations at vulnerable points to ensure timely interventions.

"We will ensure 24-hour monitoring through CCTV cameras. CCTV cameras are in place for continuous monitoring of vulnerable areas," another official said. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has put its field units on high alert to deal with any such situation. A senior official of the civic body said their central control room is functioning round the clock and claimed that the de-silting of drains has been completed. Mobile pumps, super sucker machines, earth movers and other machines have been deployed at various locations where waterlogging was reported through dedicated 24x7 zonal control rooms of the MCD, the official said. 

"In total, 72 permanent pumping stations are working as per requirement. Additionally, 465 mobile/submersible pumps of different capacities were made available to clear waterlogging. Manpower was adequately deployed also in tandem with machines for quick and sustained release of water," he said. "As part of the monsoon action plan, all arrangements have been made and field units are put on high alert to tackle the situation," the official added. 

According to PWD officials, all waterlogged spots except the Pragati Maidan Tunnel have been drained. Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Saturday inspected the city's most severely affected areas and drainage systems to assess the damage and oversee remedial measures. Accompanied by Chief Secretary cum Chairman NDMC, Commissioner MCD, Principal Secretary PWD, and other senior officials, Saxena inspected the drains at Taimur Nagar, Barapulla Drain, ITPO, Tilak Bridge, Kushak Nallah, Golf Links, and Bharti Nagar. During his visits, Saxena found all these drains clogged with garbage and sludge that caused severe flooding in various parts of the city, a statement said.

Okhla Underpass Closed for Traffic: Delhi Police

The Delhi Traffic Police restricted vehicular movement in the Okhla underpass on Sunday due to waterlogging and asked commuters to accordingly plan their journeys. The move comes after a 60-year-old man drowned in the underpass on Saturday. The national capital experienced heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday, leading to waterlogging and massive traffic jams in several parts of the city. In a post on X, the traffic police said, "Movement of traffic is restricted at Okhla underpass due to waterlogging. Kindly plan your journey accordingly." 

The closure of the underpass has caused problems for regular commuters, increasing their travel times. Sonu Gupta told PTI Videos, "I have been taking this route some time but never seen it get waterlogged. The route above the underpass is also closed. I was going for some work near Crown Plaza. I have to take another route now." 

Another commuter Rajesh Kumar said he had been looking for an alternative route after getting stuck in a traffic jam for several hours near the underpass on Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, a video purporting to show water from the moat gushing into the Red Fort complex has become widely circulated on social media. (with PTI inputs)