Prayagraj, Aug 20 The Allahabad High Court on Thursday directed district authorities to clear waterlogged areas in Prayagraj within 24 hours.
A bench of justices Ajit Kumar and Garima Prashad in a suo moto PIL took note of the poor civil condition of the city which had become 'waterlogged due to incessant rain', recently.
Municipal Commissioner Seelam Sai Teja stated that rainwater in low-lying areas would be pumped out very soon and sanitation work would be performed to prevent health hazards.
The court observed, "The duty of Municipal Commissioner is to ensure and supervise that enough water pumps are installed in all those areas where waterlogging is still there so that the rain water is pumped out from those areas within the next 24 hours."
"Whatever number of pumps are required shall be obtained from the UP Jal Nigam (Urban) Prayagraj and if UP Jal Nigam (Urban) Prayagraj is not even having sufficient pumps then it will be the duty of the state government to ensure that requisite number of pumps are made available within 12 hours from today," the court said.
The court directed the Municipal Commissioner to file an affidavit before the next hearing on August 25, informing ward-wise and area-wise details of waterlogging.
The court said it must also state whether drains were desilted before the monsoon and a plan be provided for cleaning underground drains near Jawahar Lal Nehru Road, George Town, and Sohabatiyabagh area of the city.
Additional Advocate General Manish Goel submitted a personal affidavit of Secretary, Urban Planning and Development regarding a long-term plan for storm water management based on a December 2024 notification and an apex level committee has been formed for project implementation.
To assist in this public interest matter, the court appointed senior advocate Rakesh Pande as amicus curiae. Residents affected by waterlogging or those wishing to present plans may do so through him, it said.
