The Kota Development Authority (KDA) has suspended three engineers and imposed a penalty of Rs 17 lakh on the contractor following the tragic death of retired school principal Rameshwar Rawal, who fell into an open drain late Wednesday night under the Borekheda police station area.
Incident Details
Rameshwar Rawal, who had retired from a government school in Kota a few months ago, was returning home on a motorbike from a retirement party. He fell with his bike into a siphon chamber—an open drain left uncovered on the roadside—late Wednesday night. When he did not return home, his family launched a search throughout the night. The tragedy came to light the next morning when someone spotted the bike stuck in muddy water and informed the police.
Action Taken by KDA
Taking serious note of the death, KDA Secretary Mukesh Choudhary said that site engineers—Executive Engineer Sagar Meena, Assistant Engineer Lalchand Matoria, and Junior Engineer Vinod Madawat—were suspended for negligence in work. Disciplinary action under Rule 16 of the Rajasthan Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1958 was also initiated against them. Additionally, the contractor responsible for the site work was fined Rs 17 lakh, which is 10 percent of the contract amount, for failing to cover the drain and not placing cautionary signs or boards at the worksite.
Political Reactions
Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, Tika Ram Jully, took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the BJP government's apathy and inaction. Gehlot accused the government of negligence, stating that the life of a common man was treated like a cockroach. Jully echoed similar sentiments, criticizing the administration for its failure to ensure public safety.
Probe Committee Findings
Action was taken based on the report of a committee headed by the deputy commissioner, which visited the site early Friday morning. The committee verified negligence on the part of the three site engineers and the contractor through inquiries with locals and examination of the circumstances.
The KDA's swift action aims to address the gross negligence that led to the loss of a life. However, the incident has sparked a debate on the state of infrastructure and accountability in Kota.
