HC notice to Centre, state on PIL seeking damage for JE deaths

The Orissa High Court today issued notices to the Centre, the state government and the Malkangiri District Collector, asking them to file their responses on a PIL, which has sought an adequate compensation for the families which have lost members due to the Japanese Encephalitis disease.
Around 100 children have died due to the disease in Malkangiri district alone in the last two months.
Expressing concern over it, a local lawyer and the parents of two children, who fell prey to the disease, approached the High Court seeking a high-level inquiry by an impartial agency to ascertain the cause of the spread of the disease in the district.

Taking note of the public interest litigation (PIL), a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Vineet Saran issued notices to all the respondents, asking them to file their replies within two weeks, said the petitioners' lawyer, Sidhharth Das.
The matter would come up for further hearing after the replies were filed, he added.
The petitioners have also urged for the High Court's intervention for an effective and permanent solution to the menace that has been wreaking havoc in the district for years.
Not satisfied with the measures undertaken by the state government to check the spread of the disease, the PIL has also sought for free health camps in the district in a "large-scale".