Deal with waterlogging or people will beat you: HC

Court lashes out at officials for flooding near AIIMS

The Delhi High Court on Thursday pulled up MCD officials for their failure to take measures to stop waterlogging in some areas of the city despite its earlier directions on the matter.

“If you don’t do your job seriously, the angry public would beat you up,”  a bench of acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru said to the deputy commissioner, central zone of South Corporation, the chief engineer and some others who were present in the court on the plea of South Extension residents complaining waterlogging in the area.

“Because of the judicial system, you are here, otherwise the public would have beaten you up. Respect the court order and do your job seriously,” the court said.

The residents had on Wednesday showed video clips and newspaper photos about waterlogging near AIIMS and their area and sought the court’s intervention.

“Despite this court's repeated directions, the officials have failed to take steps to prevent waterlogging in the area during monsoon,” the residents said adding "rain water entered not only houses but also into some of the shops and damaged the stocks.”

Expressing anguish over the manner in which the civic agency is doing its duty, the bench said “what are you doing? South Extension, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) and other such places are heavy access area and you have to give the public results. Why are you sitting back in your offices?”

The bench also asked the officials to carry out a drive for a week from Friday saying “ask all your officials to be on the road to monitor the situation during the rain.”
After the court’s strong observations, the MCD officials assured the bench it would take all possible measures to ensure no waterlogging in the area.

To the submission of the officials that they would do the work speedily, the bench asked them to make a video recording of the work and produce it before the court on the next date of hearing the matter.

The bench fixed August 29 for further hearing of the plea.

Earlier, while hearing the PIL, the bench had directed the heads of all civic agencies and other public bodies to depute concerned area officers to look after of the work and to hold them accountable in case of failure to stop waterlogging during monsoon.