By Zafar Abbas

New Delhi, Jul 19 (IANS): Kundan, who came to the national capital in March seeking greener pastures and slept almost every night in his tempo rickshaw, died in it on Sunday when heavy rain lashed New Delhi and he failed to swim to safety as a major road in the heart of the city was completely submerged drowning even a large DTC bus.

"It was not a rural backyard, it was not a village or mufassal, it is in Delhi where his tempo turned into his grave. How?" questions his family member.

Fifty-six-year-old Kundan had come down from Uttarakhand in March, just before the lockdown snapped all ties. He practically lived in his tempo.

"Now his two daughters aged around 21 and 12 would never be able to see their father again. A resident of Pithoragarh, Kundan moved to Delhi to earn money for his family and drove his cousin's tempo," said the family member.

On Sunday's overnight rain there was water logging at Minto Bridge underpass here, his tempo got stuck and despite struggling to come out he couldn't, firefighter who rushed to rescue said.

The fire department rescued a bus driver and a conductor, but auto driver Kundan somehow couldn't be saved. His body was pulled out when the water subsided.

"This isn't the first time Minto bridge underpass is submerged in water. The authorities, the government failed to take any corrective measures. The result is that my cousin is dead. Who would look after his two daughters one of whom is of marriageable age now.

"I want an answer to this from the government," said Pritam Singh, cousin of the deceased. Kundan drove Pritam's tempo in Delhi for the last four months.

"One person identified as Kundan, was driving Tata Ace, also known as Chhota Hathi, from New Delhi railway station towards Connaught Place this morning. Waterlogged in the Minto Bridge area because of overnight rains. He tried to manoeuvre his vehicle through the waterlogged underpass, but apparently, couldn't succeed.

"He, it seems, died of drowning. No external injury marks on his person. Inquest Proceedings u/s 174 CrPC are underway" said a senior police officer," said a police officer.

According to Pritam, Kundan was sleeping in his tempo at night for months. "The tempo was used to transport canteen goods for CRPF. He used to sleep inside the tempo," Pritam said.

The Minto road underpass has over the years seen water logging where even buses have submerged.