Amid ‘severe summer’, HC seeks uninterrupted power, water supply in Melghat to prevent deaths

“On this count, we expect that the supply of electricity should be uninterrupted keeping in view that severe summer has set in on the Vidarbha region and Senior advocate Jugal Kishore Gilda for petitioner informs us that the temperatures in Amravati had risen to 43 degrees. We are aware that in the Vidarbha region temperatures in summer, especially in the month of June, rise up to 47 to 48 degrees Celsius,” the HC noted.

Gilda also raised concerns over water bodies drying up and 86 people having been admitted during the last episode of water contamination, which led to 13 deaths.

In response, Additional Government Pleader (AGP) Bhupesh V Samant for the state government said that adequate compensation was paid to the kin of those who died.

“What concerns us is that there are deaths that are occurring due to shortage of potable water. We expect the state to initiate emergent steps to ensure that potable water is supplied to man and life in the Melghat region and deaths due to contamination owing to drinking non-potable water need to be avoided,” the HC noted.

The bench observed that the state government should now become “proactive” and consider the study reports made by its officials over problems noticed in tribal areas “on urgent basis giving it the highest priority”. The Court sought a blueprint for dealing with suggestions made in such reports during the next hearing.

The HC observed that the state Public Health department’s Principal Secretary, who was appointed as nodal officer to coordinate various issues was absent during the hearing due to election duty in West Bengal. HC said it has to adjourn matter everytime due to absence of such instructing officials.

“If this is the way the hearings in these proceedings have to be conducted, a logical end would be far from sight,” the HC observed and sought presence of nodal officers along with other staff during the next hearing on April 29.