"Living a life of hell..." - the plaintive cry of a student who has written to Chief Justice DY Chandrachud to demand action against city officials and others responsible for the deaths last weeks of three fellow students, who drowned in the flooded basement of a coaching centre in east Delhi.
The Chief Justice has not yet decided if the letter will be viewed as a petition.
The student - Avinash Dubey - flagged poor infrastructure in areas like Rajendra Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar, residents of which often battle floods caused by drainage issues and "negligence" by the Municipal Corporation, and asked for protection of students' fundamental rights.
Mr Dubey referred to the tragic drowning of three students in the basement of a building owned by Rau's IAS Study Circle. The basement was being used as a library in violation of city ordinances.
"Due to rain, the basement got filled with water and three students lost their lives. Sir, areas like Mukherjee Nagar and Rajendra Nagar are facing the problem of waterlogging every year for many years due to the negligence of the Municipal Corporation. We have to walk in knee-deep drain water... today students like us are preparing for (our exams) while living a life of hell..."
Mr Dubey red-flagged the improper maintenance of drains in these parts of the national capital, which means roads there are flooded by a mix of water and untreated sewage when there is rainfall.
Floodwaters and sewage sometimes enter homes also, Mr Dubey complained.
READ | Month Before Basement Deaths, Student's SOS Flagged Huge Risk
"Students like us are moving towards our goal by any means. But yesterday's incident proved the lives of students are not safe... Delhi government and Municipal Corporation force us to live a life like (pests)..." he wrote the Chief Justice, claiming "indifference" on the part of government officials.
"Sir... it is our fundamental right to study while living a healthy life. The above incident is extremely heart-rending and worrying. Due to waterlogging, there is a serious threat to the safety and health of students studying in (such) centres... students need a safe and healthy environment so they can study without fear, and contribute to the development of the country..." the Chief Justice was told.
The flooded street outside the coaching centre in east Delhi.
Mr Dubey urged the top court to direct officials take immediate and effective steps to find a permanent solution to the problem of waterlogging, and strengthen emergency and medical response measures. "Proper evacuation routes should (also) be ensured," he said.
Four students - all studying for the UPSC, or Civil Services, examination - died after heavy rain in Delhi last week. Three died in the Rajendra Nagar coaching centre's basement.
The three have been identified as Tania Soni and Shreya Yadav - both 25 - and Navin Delvin, 28.
The fourth, Nilesh Rai, 26, was electrocuted in Patel Nagar.
READ | UPSC Aspirant Electrocuted On Waterlogged Road In Delhi: Cops
Locals have blamed drains clogged with silt; this led to the flood-like situation following rains.
Pending completion of the probe, seven people, including the coaching centre's owner, Abhishek Gupta, and coordinator, Deshpal Singh, were arrested and sent to custody for 14 days.
They face multiple charges, including of culpable homicide and causing death by negligence.
READ | Bulldozer Action In Delhi After 3 Die In Coaching Centre Tragedy
Meanwhile, parts of the building - deemed as encroachments - were demolished Monday by bulldozers,
How Delhi Coaching Centre Put Lives In Danger
Inquiries so far have suggest multiple lapses by owners and civic authorities.
The coaching centre got a No-Objection Certificate from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in August 2021. The certificate, seen by NDTV, says the basement is to be used for parking and storage.
The coaching centre also secured a similar certificate from the fire department this month.
This document, also accessed by NDTV, claims the building has complied with existing fire safety regulations, and stresses the basement should be used in accordance with building bye-laws.
READ | Delhi Coaching Centre Loses Fire Safety Nod After Basement Tragedy
Both NoCs have now been revoked.
This morning a Junior Engineer with the MCD was sacked a senior employee suspended.
READ | Action Against 2 Engineers After Study Centre Flooding Kills Students
The officials worked with the maintenance department for the Karol Bagh Zone.
AAP vs BJP: Political Blame Game
The opposition BJP has launched an entirely expected protest against the AAP. Delhi Police had to use water cannons to disperse BJP workers - and the party's Delhi unit boss, Virendra Sachdeva - protesting near the AAP office. Many of them were later detained by the cops.
The Delhi basement tragedy also sparked a row in Parliament.
"It's a shocking situation... when you have a brilliant student (whose) dreams of serving the nation... have been shattered and the hopes of the family are shattered. This is a matter which obviously calls for compensation... but no compensation can be enough..." Congress Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor said.
READ | "Main Opposition Does Not Favour...": Rajya Sabha Defers Debate
"There are a number of serious issues that need to be addressed - there is sadly a level of violations of basic norms when it comes to building codes, fire safety, flood safety... that is rampant in the city."
Mr Tharoor's sharp comments have raised eyebrows, given his party and the AAP that is in power in Delhi, and controls the city's civic body, are part of the INDIA opposition bloc.
"The corporation also has responsibility. I have seen... in the hands of a journalist... a certificate of clearance issued on July 9. The corporation allows these people to do what they're doing..." he raged.
Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, a discussion on the students' death was deferred. House Chair Jagdeep Dhankhar said this was because the Congress, the main opposition party, objected.
Earlier Mr Dhankhar had slammed the business of coaching centres, telling the House, "Coaching has become virtually commerce. Every time we read a newspaper, front one or two pages are their ads..."
Among those who served notice was Aam Aadmi Party MP Swati Maliwal - a political twist given her fractious current relationship with the party; the former Delhi Commission for Women chief is roiled in a court case with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide, Bibhav Kumar, whom she has accused of assault.
Ms Maliwal - who remains a member of the AAP, for now - said she was seeking "justice and compensation" for the families of the three students.
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