Diphu Residents forced to Drink Impure Water: Gauhati High Court

Diphu Residents forced to Drink Impure Water: Gauhati High Court

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: A division bench of the Gauhati High Court comprising Chief Justice Ajai Lamba and Justice Soumitra Saikia has directed the Commissioner and Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Government of Assam, to file a specific affidavit giving details as to when resources will be made available for completion of the ‘Augmentation of Greater Diphu Water Supply Scheme’. The High Court expressed serious concern that residents of the foresaid area in Karbi Anglong district have been “forced to drink impure/polluted/unpotable water, which would be causing various diseases”.

The affidavit filed on November 27, 2019 by Additional Chief Engineer Joydeb Nath, on behalf of the Public Health Engineering Department, KAAC (Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council), states “the entire area could not be covered under the scheme – Augmentation of Greater Diphu Water Supply Scheme – for the reason that sufficient funds have not been made available.”

The Court has observed from an annexure appended with the affidavit that while the total cost of the project was Rs 2767.44 lakh, the amount received was Rs 1064.767 lakh. “On receipt of the resources, the entire project can be completed,” the affidavit says. The balance amount to be received has been shown as Rs 1702.67 lakh.

The bench said in its judgment that “since 2008, the matter has been pending adjudication. This Court adjudicated and issued direction. Evidently, the direction has not been carried out. Eleven years has gone by, however, residents of the area are still forced to drink impure/polluted/unpotable water, which would be causing various diseases”.

The PIL has been listed for next hearing on February 24, 2020.

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