HC pulls up civic agencies for failure to stop waterlogging

The court also asked trifurcated MCD and NDMC to place on record the road maps relating to drainage system by next week.

"Drains have to be cleaned. There are no short-term measures to stop waterlogging in the city. If you don't know the number of drains in the area, how will you clean them?," a division bench of justices S K Kaul and Vipin Sanghi asked after MCD failed to file the status report.

The civic body claimed that long-term plans were there as per the Masterplan 2021 to solve the problem.

"Year after year the problem of waterlogging occurs. You cannot ask citizens to wait for implementation of your long- term plans," the bench said and asked the authorities to bring the records of road maps to court by August 28.

The bench made the observations while hearing a plea by NGO Nyaya Bhoomi President B B Sharan to launch contempt proceedings against the civic body officials for their alleged failure in complying with the court's July 11 order.

The high court had on July 11 had directed officials to take steps to end the problem of waterlogging in the capital in 15 days.

The court's directions had come while hearing two PILs, filed by the NGO and Gaurav Bansal, a lawyer, seeking steps to address the problem of waterlogging in the capital.

One of the petitions had claimed MCD and Public Works Department (PWD) have done nothing significant after 1998 to properly desilt drains and this was causing waterlogging on major roads even after the slightest of rain.

Giving a list of 41 waterlogging-prone areas here, the petition referred to a response received under an RTI, and said affected areas included Ashram Chowk, South Extension Part-I, Mathura Road, ISBT Kashmere Gate, RTR Marg near Moti Bagh flyover, Siri Fort Road, Dhaula Kuan underpass and underpasses around Dwarka.