ILABEN PATHAK Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS Public Interest Litigation was filed highlighting the serious and alarming problems pertaining to public health, hygiene and sanitation in the Civil Hospital campus and other parts of the City of Ahmedabad. Sometime in the year 2011 a chaotic unhygienic conditions led to various disease like Dengue, Malaria, Jaundice, Hepatitis -B etc. Many persons, young and aged, lost their lives falling prey to the epidemic of Dengue, Malaria, Falciparum and Chikungunya. In the last three years young children of the age group of 1 to 15 have been the maximum victim of such diseases and majority of them, unfortunately hailing from very poor strata of the society.

(2.) CONSIDERING the situation which was prevailing at the relevant point of time, we took cognizance of the same and issued various directions to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation Authorities as well as the State Authorities to take appropriate steps to curb the chaotic unhygienic conditions leading to Dengue, Malaria etc.

(3.) PURSUANT to our order dated 29th December, 2011, the committee headed by Dr.Dilip Mavlankar, Dean, Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar (Public Health Foundation of India) tendered its first preliminary report dated 30/3/2012 relating to the unhygienic conditions prevailing in the Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad including other public hospitals. The Committee in its first preliminary report gave a fair idea about their observations and suggested few short term recommendations for the purpose of taking precautions during the monsoon of 2012. The Committee thereafter requested for some more time to complete the work and accordingly we granted three months time for the purpose of completing the work and filing the second report. Thereafter the Committee tendered its second interim urgent report taking into consideration the alarming situation which prevailed even during the monsoon of 2012.