Janakpuri pit fatal accident: Officials suspected of negligence suspended, says Delhi minister
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood on Saturday said the government has suspended the officials suspected of negligence in connection with the death of a motorcyclist who fell into a pit dug up for construction work by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in west Delhi's Janakpuri area.
After inspecting the site, Sood said a committee was formed immediately after his visit on Friday morning.
"Immediate action was taken under the guidance of the water minister, and after the chief minister's intervention, all officials suspected of negligence have been suspended," Sood said.
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The minister further added that FIRs have been registered against both the DJB and the contractor involved.
"If any DJB officials are found guilty during the inquiry, cases will be registered against them as well. Legal action is also being taken against the contractor for negligence, and arrests are being carried out as part of the ongoing police action," he said.
The deceased motorcyclist, identified as Kamal, a resident of Kailashpuri and an employee at a private bank's call centre, was on his way home from his office in Rohini when the accident occurred on Friday, police said.
Expressing grief over the loss of a young life, the minister said, "Our pain and sorrow cannot bring the man back, but I assure you that the chief minister is personally monitoring the entire case and ensuring timely updates."
Referring to the traffic disruption in the area, Sood said that the construction work on this key road connecting Vikaspuri and adjoining areas would face delays due to the accident.
"To minimise inconvenience to residents, we are taking necessary steps to ensure smooth movement of traffic on a single carriageway in both directions," he said.
A joint inspection was conducted by officials from the Delhi Police, municipal corporation, Delhi Traffic Police, DJB and the Public Works Department to expedite the restoration of the road.
Sood said the DJB had issued a circular on January 26 directing all departments to ensure compliance with safety norms.
"As the urban development minister, I am also writing to the municipal corporation and other departments. After this incident, we will ensure there are no lapses or negligence is repeated," he said.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the pit was a part of the ongoing DJB construction work, and had been barricaded, the police added.
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Muslims population will never surpass Hindus in India: Owaisi
Hyderabad (PTI): AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has said that Muslims will never surpass the Hindu population in India.
Addressing a rally at Nizamabad on Friday night ahead of the municipal polls in Telangana, the Hyderabad MP said he was listening to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's (recent) speech in the Rajya Sabha wherein he said that the population of the entire world is ageing while India's population is young.
If the Prime Minister was asked if 60 per cent of the country's population is aged under 40, then what (measures) he (Modi) did for their jobs, and what skills have been taught to them, the AIMIM chief asked.
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"After 20 years, this young population will age. How much inflation and how much they need to spend we don't think of it. Instead, they say the population of Muslims is growing...Muslim population will stabilise. Muslims will never exceed the Hindu population in India.
"They are now understanding that after 25-30 years, the country's population will age. RSS (chief) Mohan Bhagwat says to give birth to at least three children. Though he himself is not doing, that's another matter," Owaisi said.
Earlier, it was said a bill would be brought for population control and they used to criticise Muslims. Now they have realised that when the country's population ages how it will affect the nation, he said.
On Pakistan's boycott of their T20 World Cup match against India, Owaisi said India is hosting the T20 World Cup and that "useless" Pakistani team says they will not play the game against India. "You should have told them (Pakistan) why did you come here and go out from here, if you won't play. But you are sitting silently and listening," he said.
Owaisi further hit out at the Modi government, accusing it of remaining silent on China's (border) issue.
