The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Delhi Government to file a status report giving details of the relief work done in the wake of the recent floods in the city after the Yamuna River breached its bank.
A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Saurabh Banerjee passed the order while dealing with a public interest litigation (PIIL) petition seeking delivery of free ration, medical assistance, sanitary provisions, and other essentials for people at the Yamuna River flood relief camps.
Akash Bhattacharya, an assistant professor at the Azim Premji University, approached the High Court stating that the recent floods in Yamuna are the most devastating calamity in Delhi since 1978. He argued that the relief camps, where the displaced people have been housed, lack basic facilities.
The petition was filed through advocate KR Shriyas.
Standing counsel Santosh Tripathi appeared for the Delhi government and objected to the details of the petition being published in the media even before it came up for hearing in the Court.
“It reflects differently in the public domain… it is as if the government is not doing anything,” Tripathi stated.
He further said that the petitioner never approached the authorities and that the government has been providing financial assistance to the affected people.
The bench remarked that the cause of the petitioner is genuine and therefore, it is not being dismissed at this stage.
It then asked the government to file a status report on the issue and listed the case for further consideration on September 13, 2023.
Source: Bar and Bench.
