Boy drowns in pool: AAP blames MCD 'negligence', says accountability should be fixed

New Delhi: The AAP on Sunday alleged that a six-year-old boy who drowned in a swimming pool in northwest Delhi's Pitampura died due to the negligence of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

There was no immediate response from the MCD.

The boy drowned in the swimming pool of an MCD-run community centre.

Addressing a press conference, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the MCD Ankush Narang alleged that the boy's death was the "result of gross negligence and administrative failure" on the part of the civic agency.

No lifeguard was present at the time of the incident and the facility lacked both safety equipment and CCTV surveillance, he claimed.

"By the time a lifeguard was called and the child was pulled out, it was too late," the AAP leader said.

Narang said the silence of Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on this incident is "shameful" and demanded that accountability be fixed.

He further said, "This tragedy should have never occurred in the first place. But it happened under their watch. What steps have been taken to prevent such incidents in future? Has the MCD ensured installation of CCTV cameras, adherence to safety protocols and deployment of trained lifeguards across its facilities?"