A year after girl died after falling into drain, kin get compensation

New Delhi: More than a year after a five-year-old girl died after falling into an open drain in outer north Delhi's Palla area, the district administration has disbursed a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to her family, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) was informed.In a status report filed before the tribunal, the DM (North West) said the sanctioned amount was released and credited to the family in compliance with directions that were issued during proceedings. The matter came up before NGT after it took suo motu cognisance of a TOI report dated Aug 27, 2024, titled "How open drain snuffed out another young life."
The tribunal, in its order dated Sept 13, 2024, noted that the girl was found trapped in deep, slush-filled waters near the Palla village check post close to Akbarpur Marza. It observed that the drain, meant to carry rainwater, appeared to be filled with sewage and sludge because it was not maintained according to environmental norms.The tribunal noted the "substantial issues" of non-compliance of "environmental norms" and impleaded multiple authorities, such as Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the ministry of environment, forest and climate change, and the North West Delhi DM.In 2025, the CPCB told the tribunal that it had written to DPCC, the DM, and the PWD in Nov and Dec 2024, seeking status and action taken reports on the matter.Earlier, PWD told NGT that a temporary plywood board placed across the drain by a local farmer was used to cross it, and that the child reportedly slipped while attempting to cross it.The tribunal underscored that the presence of an open, poorly maintained drains, criss-crossing a village, posed a significant risk, especially to children, and raised broader questions about civic negligence and environmental compliance.