SHYAM KISHORE SHARMA Vs. STATE OF BIHAR

JUDGEMENT

(1.) HEARD the parties.

(2.) PURSUANT to our order dated 24.4.1998, Mr. Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Urban Development, in absence of Finance Commissioner, Additional Finance Commissioner Shri B.P.Sharma, Vice Chairman, Patna Regional Development Authority, District Magistrate, Patna, Managing Director, Jal Parishad, Chief Engineer, Jal Parishad, former Superintending Engineer, Jal Parishad, Executive Engineer, Works Development, Jal Parishad, Chief Engineer, Housing Board and Administrator, Patna Municipal Corporation have appeared in person.

(3.) THE officers who appeared before this Court had no option but to state that civic body had no infra -structure to deal with the situation for removing water logging. Therefore, various pumps were requisitioned from different places. At one stage, we proposed to call army as it appeared to us that it was not possible for civic body to deal with the situation. The learned Additional Advocate General No. Ill upon our order sent a request to the Central Government and reply was received from Lucknow, Patna and Danapur that even army may not be able to deal with the situation to our full satisfaction. Ultimately, we gave 20 directions to the State and officials of Civic Body for removal of water logging to save lives of the people so that there may not be epidemic. After passing order, we had to monitor it and not only monitoring but we had to give push also and we are sorry to say that only after that water could be drained out, which had taken atleast 15 days in removal of water logging from most of the areas, though not from all areas.