Maharashtra gets HC rap, Rajasthan on rain map

Every monsoon is manageable,” said Bombay High Court Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar while hearing a PIL seeking compensation for flood victims of Thane

Every monsoon is manageable,” said Bombay High Court Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar while hearing a PIL seeking compensation for flood victims of Thane, even as the court directed all municipal corporations in the state to take appropriate measures to ensure there was no water-logging from the next monsoon and that water levels did not exceed six inches.

The PIL, filed by Thane-based Gopal Education and Welfare Trust in August 2005, seeks proper distribution of funds released by the state and Central governments as compensation for flood-affected people of Thane district.

While hearing the PIL, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Swatanter and Justice Ranjana Desai observed that water-logging affects the entire city and the entire state is brought to a standstill, human lives are disturbed and it is time the authorities, including corporations, take serious steps to solve the issue. “It causes problems especially to the poorer sections of the society,” the court observed. In response, BMC counsel K K Singhvi said it would depend on the monsoon.

“It depends on what measures you take. Every monsoon is manageable,” the Chief Justice remarked. The court then directed the state Government and all its municipal corporations to file an affidavit in this regard within two weeks.

The trust’s lawyer, Om Prakash Pandey, said the PIL was filed to stop the misuse of flood relief. “We want the authorities to be properly equipped before the next monsoon. The drainage system too should be revamped,” he added. According to Pandey, more than 100 people were killed and thousands of houses collapsed in Thane district during the deluge of July 26, 2005, and people were yet to receive any compensation. “Government records show more than 3,000 people were killed in the state,” he said.