Delhi's Decade-Old Death Pits Threaten Lives

An unfenced, decade-old excavation pit in Delhi's Bara Hindu Rao presents a grave danger to residents. The seven-acre site, dug for a commercial project 12 to 15 years ago, remains largely unsecured with no adequate fencing, signage, or lighting along internal roads. This poses an imminent risk to the more than 400 laborers and their families living in temporary shelters nearby, as well as office workers and their children who navigate the area daily.

Stagnant, greenish water has collected at the bottom of the pit, concealed by dumped garbage and soil, making its depth deceptively hidden. Despite repeated complaints to civic, police, and environmental authorities over the years, mandatory safety measures like protective barricades have allegedly never been implemented. Urban planning experts caution that such deep, abandoned excavations in densely populated areas are particularly perilous during adverse weather or low visibility conditions.

A spokesperson for one of the builders stated that construction was halted due to ongoing litigation but claimed the site was largely barricaded, with fencing work in progress. However, buyers have petitioned various authorities, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the National Green Tribunal, urging immediate preventive action to avert a potential tragedy before it occurs.