Waterlogging: HC slams agencies for throwing muck at each other

“Each of the agency in the Capital of Delhi do not do their work and, because of the multiplicity of the agencies, they pass the buck on each other,” a Bench of justices B D Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar said.

Their strident reaction came a day after another High Court Bench said: “We cannot tolerate this year after year”, while commenting on the waterlogging on major roads and crippling of traffic movement in large parts of Delhi.

The Bench made the remarks on Thursday after it was told by the counsel for Public Works Department (PWD) that they were only responsible for 1,226 km of roads in the city, while three MCDs said they should not be blamed for the overflowing drains during rains, as it was the PWD’s responsibility also.

The court was hearing a PIL by Col (Rtd) B B Sharan who has sought direction for maintaining cleanliness in Delhi.

“The local bodies, including the Municipal Corporations of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Cantonment Board were asked to frame bye-laws incorporating the provisions of Plastic Waste Management Rules in exercise of powers conferred under the Environment (Protection) Act.

“In absence of setting up of the infrastructure for segregation, collection, storage, transportation, processing and disposal of plastic waste in Delhi, it would be difficult to stop clogging of drains. The non-biodegradable materials is the main reason for clogging of drains, which we can see from the recent waterlogging in Delhi,” the court said.