The Gauhati High Court has pulled up the Assam government regarding the waterlogging problem in Guwahati city, directing the state to apprise the court within 10 days about the steps taken by the authorities to address the issue.
“It is noticed that the problem of waterlogging in the monsoon season in Guwahati city has not been addressed by the authorities concerned properly for a long time,” the division bench of Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam observed while hearing a PIL (14/2024) raising the issue of waterlogging in Guwahati during the monsoon season.
“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 what steps have been taken by them to deal with the problem of waterlogging in Guwahati city,” the High Court said.
The secretary of the city-based North East Eco Development Society had raised the issue through the PIL.
The state government was represented by the additional chief secretary of, the forest and environment department; principal secretary to state government, revenue and disaster management department; chief executive officer, of Assam Disaster Management Authority, and the divisional forest officer, of East Kamrup division.
The Court observed that the response on behalf of the state government was not filed to date and granted 10 days to the state respondents to file counter to the writ petition.
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Notably, several areas, particularly low-lying areas of Guwahati, continue to bear the brunt of artificial floods and waterlogging during the monsoon season every year. Traffic too is affected during such a situation as motorists and pedestrians face a precarious situation commuting from one location to the other.
This year too has been no different with several areas of the city affected by severe waterlogging triggered by heavy rain in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal since the last week of May.
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