GUWAHATI: The Gauhati high court has criticised the Assam government and concerned departments for their lax response to a public interest litigation (PIL) addressing persistent waterlogging in Guwahati.
Gauhati high court chief justice Vijay Bishnoi and justice Kardak Ete, presiding over the division bench, expressed dissatisfaction as no response was filed despite a specific timeframe given.
The court highlighted the seriousness of the issue and the apparent lack of initiative from the Assam government departments involved.
“In a matter noticed on 03.06.2024, the petitioner raised a serious concern regarding waterlogging in Guwahati, which has persisted over an extended period. It appears that the concerned departments are not committed to resolving the problem, as they have failed to file any response despite the allotted time,” the court stated.
Earlier, the Gauhati high court had directed the Assam government to provide updates within 10 days on measures taken to mitigate waterlogging in Guwahati.
The Gauhati high court pulled up four departments of Assam government for failing to file an affidavit before the court within 10 days of the stipulated time.
Dissatisfied with the non-compliance, the court granted another opportunity for the departments to respond to the Writ Petition.
“In the interest of justice, we grant one more opportunity to the concerned departments to file their response, subject to a penalty of Rs 1000 each to be paid to the Gauhati high court legal services authority,” the Gauhati high court mandated.