[Monsoon waterlogging] 'Duty of Lucknow municipal authorities to maintain proper drainage': Allahabad High Court issues directions to LDA
![[Monsoon waterlogging] Duty of Lucknow municipal authorities to maintain proper drainage: Allahabad High Court issues directions to LDA](https://lawbeat.in/sites/default/files/news_images/Water logging+ LKO HC.jpg "[Monsoon waterlogging] Duty of Lucknow municipal authorities to maintain proper drainage: Allahabad High Court issues directions to LDA")
"There may be various technical reasons to explain as to why water gets logged at various places in the city of Lucknow including on the roads which makes it difficult for the passengers to travel on the road and also sometimes it becomes the cause of spread of various diseases including vector-borne diseases", Court said.
The Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court on Thursday issued an array of directions to the Lucknow Development Authority pertaining to waterlogging issue that the city faces every year during monsoon.
The bench of Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Rajnish Kumar passed the order on a Public Interest Litigation moved by one Sanjog Walter. Though noting that the prayers made in the writ petition were omnibus in nature, Court took serious note of the photographs appended in the plea that depicted the poor condition of the drainage at various places in the city.
Court said, "There cannot be any denial that it is the duty of the Muncipal authorities of the city of Lucknow to maintain appropriate and proper drainage systems."
Considering the same, Court issued the following directions:
- The Nagar Nigam to activate its employees/ officials so that different drainage systems operating in the city of Lucknow are cleaned and are appropriately maintained.
- The Nagar Nigam shall take all such effective steps which may help to remove or minimize the difficulties being faced by the residents of Lucknow on account of water logging.
- Nagar Nigam shall take all possible steps to mitigate the aforesaid problem including installation of pumps where siphoning of water may be required.
- The officials of Nagar Nigam shall also ensure that pumps already installed are in a fit and functional condition.
In the petition, the petitioner had relied on certain newspaper reports, however, no specific averments in support of the prayers were made. Despite that, Court noted that there could not be any denial of the fact that every year on the onset of monsoon, residents of Lucknow city are faced with the problem of water logging at various locations.
"When we peruse certain photographs appended with the writ petition, what we find is that the photographs depict the poor condition of the drainage at various places in the city and on account of the fact that such drainage are not being properly cleaned and managed, various areas gets waterlogged and sometimes such water logging even results in small islands in the city itself," Court observed.
Therefore, issued the aforesaid directions, Court disposed of the instant plea.
Case Title: Sanjog Walter v. State of UP and 5 Ors.