Gurgaon: Last monsoon, a 22-year-old man fell into an under-construction stormwater drain along Hamilton Court Road. He couldn’t spot the danger that lay under his feet because the road was flooded and there were no barricades to warn people.Nearly 10 months later, GMDA has granted permission to police to prosecute three of its engineers for the negligence that claimed Naresh Bhatt’s life. The trio held responsible for the lapses were subdivisional engineer Jagdish Chandra, whose services were terminated in Jan this year, and two junior engineers — Rajhans and Mohd Iqraar Hussain — engaged on contract through the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam.On July 12, Naresh Bhatt was found dead in the waterlogged drain just a few hundred metres from his rented accommodation in Sushant Lok-1 after a frantic three-day search by his family. On the night of July 9, when intense rainfall left several city roads inundated, Bhatt was walking back from work when he fell into the open drain and drowned. Bhatt had recently moved to the city from Nepal and was working at a café.Bhatt’s father, Ramdutt, had alleged gross negligence and demanded strict action. “My son died after drowning in a drain which has been under construction for a long time. There was no signboard or any safety precautions. I want the strictest action against GMDA officials and the contractor responsible for my son’s death,” he had said when the incident happened last year.After the incident, a case under BNS sections 106 (death by negligence) and 3(5) (common intention) at DLF police station at Sector 29 and sought GMDA’s permission to begin prosecution.“We found that the drain site had not been barricaded. A case was registered against personnel of GMDA and the contractor. Also, lapses were found on part of sub divisional engineer and junior engineer,” a police officer said.“After reviewing the findings, the GMDA CEO has approved action against the two officials, while the service of one of the engineers has been discontinued from GMDA since Jan 1. Police have been informed,” a senior GMDA official said.While one of the engineers is no longer with the authority, the two junior engineers continue to work with GMDA on a contractual basis.Asked what departmental action could be taken against these officials, a GMDA officer said, “Suspension does not apply to contractual employees. In this case, a complaint has been lodged and police will follow due process. Based on their findings and submissions, the matter may be escalated to senior authorities, including chief secretary.”The death brought to light serious safety lapses on a stretch that has seen recurring incidents. On April 18 this year, a woman professor had a close shave after her car slipped into an unbarricaded pit on the same road. She was trapped inside the vehicle for nearly 25 minutes before passersby rescued her by breaking the windows. A complaint has also been filed in that case, and an inquiry is under way.Hamilton Court Road revamp project was handed to a contractor in Feb 2024 at a cost of Rs 22 crore and was scheduled to be completed by Feb 2025. The project includes road widening, construction of stormwater drains, footpath development, and street lighting. However, the work remains incomplete, with officials saying around 90% has been executed so far.As the city is prepares another monsoon, the case has again drawn attention to dangers posed by construction sites that are not barricaded as well as consequences of administrative delay and oversight failures.
