HC directs government to assign responsibility of drains to 1 agency

: Observing that there is an absolute lack of coordination between departments, the Delhi High Court has directed the city government to assign the responsibility of management and operations of all 22 open drains here to one department or agency under a unified and centralised command by April 30.

A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan noted that Delhi’s major storm water drains, spanning about 3,740.31 km, are managed by a multiplicity of agencies under the jurisdiction of various governments, resulting in mismanagement which not only polluted Yamuna but also made people suffer.

It took note of the flooding of the Purana Quila Road and the Mathura Road as well as the newly built tunnel near Bharat Mandapam in the monsoon of 2023, while asserting that there was a need for a vision by the administrators to manage the present and anticipate the future. It sought a report with respect to the 105 waterlogging locations identified by the traffic police.

“There is no incentive for efficient management of the drainage system due to administrative chaos. The city and its citizenry waits with apprehension when monsoons are approaching due to this mismanagement of drains while the administrative agencies have been adopting an Ostrich-like approach wishing the flooding won’t happen,” the bench, also comprising Justice Manmeet PS Arora, remarked in an order passed on April 8. “Therefore, it is hereby directed that GNCTD shall assign the responsibility of management and operations of all twenty-two (22) open drains, which are out falling in river Yamuna, to one Department / Agency. The GNCTD shall identify such Department / Agency and orders be issued by 30th April, 2024...The need for a unified and centralized command is imperative and is hereby directed,” the bench ordered.