GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has issued a directive to the Assam government, requesting it to provide details within ten days about the measures taken to address the longstanding issue of waterlogging in Guwahati city. The court's decision came during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the waterlogging problem in the city during the monsoon season.
Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam, comprising the division bench, presided over the hearing. They noted that the Assam had not yet submitted their response.
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The court noted that the problem of waterlogging in Guwahati has persisted for a long time without proper redressal by the authorities. The issue, directly impacting the public, prompted the court to call for a detailed response from the state authorities.
"It is noticed that the problem of waterlogging in the monsoon season in Guwahati city has not been addressed by the authorities concerned in a proper manner for a long time. The issue is directly related to the public at large. Hence, it is expected that the respondents should file their response within the stipulated time, detailing out what steps have been taken by them to deal with the problem of waterlogging in Guwahati city," stated the court.
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The PIL was filed by the North East Eco Development Society, represented by its Secretary, Biswajit Saikia. The respondents, including the Additional Chief Secretary of the Forest & Environment Department, the Principal Secretary of Revenue and Disaster Management Department, the Chief Executive Officer of Assam Disaster Management Authority, and the Divisional Forest Officer of Kamrup Division, were directed to submit their response within ten days.
Guwahati witnessed widespread waterlogging over the past few days after incessant rainfall lashed the city throwing life out of gear. The SDRF and F&ESS had to even evacuate people from a few submerged areas.
