GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has said that the time has now come to address the problem of waterlogging and flooding in Guwahati and the government needs to resolve the issue permanently.
The court’s observations came on a PIL filed by the North East Eco Development Society. Taking up the PIL on Wednesday, August 7, the court granted time to Advocate General D Saikia to place on record the plan, which is in existence and the future comprehensive plan to deal with the menace of waterlogging and flooding in the Guwahati.
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Though the date was not fixed in the PIL, on a mention made by senior counsel and president of Gauhati Bar As- sociation KN Choudhury on Wednesday, the matter was placed before the court. "Choudhury has invited our attention to the flood situation that the Guwahati city has witnessed on August 5.
The newspapers have also extensively reported the situation and the trauma faced by the citizens of Guwahati city. Taking into consideration the fact situation, we are of the view that now the time has come to deal with the problem of waterlogging/ flooding in the Guwahati city and the State is required to take steps for resolving this problem permanently," a bench of Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam said in an order.
The court has asked senior advocate KN Choudhury to assist it as amicus curiae in the case. The court granted time to Advocate General D Saikia to place on record "the plan, which is in existence and the future comprehensive plan to deal with the menace of waterlogging and flooding in the Guwahati city by the next date of hearing via an affidavit on behalf of the Depart- ment of Housing and Urban Affairs (DOHUA), Govern- ment of Assam through its Principal Secretary".
The counsel for the State Revenue and Disaster Man- agement Department has been also asked to file a response to the petition. A deluge on August 5 after heavy rainfall had brought the city to standstill. Later, state Housing and Urban Affairs mnister Ashok Singha said much of the water had flowed down from the Meghalaya hills while also admitting that Guwahati’s drains were not prepared to flush out the large volume of water.
