Guwahati, 27th June: The Gauhati High Court has reprimanded the Assam Government and concerned departments for their lack of response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) addressing persistent waterlogging issues in Guwahati.
Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Kardak Ete expressed disappointment as no response was filed despite a specific deadline given. The division bench remarked on the seriousness of the issue raised by the petitioner regarding long-standing waterlogging problems in Guwahati.
“As noticed on 03.06.2024, the petitioner has raised a serious issue regarding waterlogging in the city of Guwahati, which has persisted for a long time. It appears that the aforesaid Departments are not serious about solving the problem of waterlogging in Guwahati, as despite a specific time granted to them, no response has been filed till date,” the court noted.
Earlier, the court had directed the state to provide an update within 10 days on the actions taken to mitigate waterlogging. Granting an additional opportunity for the departments to respond, the court imposed a penalty of Rs 1,000 each to be paid to the Gauhati High Court Legal Services Authority.
“In the interest of justice, we grant one more opportunity to the departments to file their response to the Writ Petition, subject to the condition that each department shall pay a cost of Rs. 1,000/- to the Gauhati High Court Legal Services Authority,” the court stated.
The court’s decision underscores the urgency of addressing the persistent issue of waterlogging in Guwahati, emphasizing accountability and timely action by the concerned authorities.
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