Sewerage boards' chiefs appear before HC

BWSSB Chairperson Gaurav Gupta on Tuesday sought more time from the High Court to procure additional machines to clean the areas which do not have sewerage system.

He said 76 machines have performed 4,365 mechanised cleanings so far, and orders have been placed for more machines. The vehicles imported from Europe need to be certified as per the Indian standards, the chairperson said.

Counsel for petitioners, the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Ravi Varma Kumar said the water board required more workers despite the ban on manual cleaning.

Karnataka Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB) chairperson Krishnaiah Setty, in his affidavit, stated that the main objective of the Board was to provide drinking water and drainage facility to all the cities and towns except Bangalore.

Drains should be maintained by the local bodies, the affidavit stated, adding that the Board maintained the drainages only in Bellary city. The Court also sought to know the steps taken by the KUWSDB for enforcing a ban on manual scavenging. It objected to some of the points in the affidavits, which were contrary to their submission.

The High Court, during its hearing earlier, had rapped the government for its callousness in eradicating manual scavenging. Chairpersons of both the boards were directed to appear in person before the Court.