Yamuna floods: HC seeks status report from Delhi govt in PIL seeking immediate measures at relief camps

In a public interest lawsuit requesting quick action to offer free ration, medical aid, and necessities at relief camps in the wake of the Yamuna river floods, the Delhi High Court on Monday urged the Delhi government to provide a progress report.

On September 13, the matter was listed by a division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Saurabh Banerjee.

Santosh Kumar Tripathi, an attorney for the Delhi government, raised objections to the PIL, claiming that it had already been publicised in the media before the hearing. Tripathi added that the petitioner had filed the PIL "without approaching the authorities" and "without carrying out due diligence" or travelling to flood-affected areas.

The government has already decided to provide financial aid to flood victims, he continued, and all flood relief camps are equipped with the bare necessities. The Delhi government was requested to provide a status report by the HC, which described it as a "genuine case."

According to the PIL, which was submitted by attorney K R Shiyas, "the lackadaisical response from authorities cost the livelihood of hundreds of poor people and destroyed their only shelter, which contained household items and important documents that prove (their) existence."

According to the report, 25,000 individuals were either directly or indirectly impacted by the storm, and they are currently residing in unsanitary relief camps without access to food or appropriate sanitation.

According to the Constitution, flood control is a state responsibility, and it is the primary responsibility of the states to take action.that hundreds of people who live in the Yamuna floodplain were made homeless by the extraordinary flood, which also drowned numerous homes in the Yamuna. The state apparatus of the capital has failed to safeguard the lives and means of subsistence of hundreds of people in the capital during this dangerous and unusual circumstance, the petition claims.

The complaint asks that the respondents (Delhi Disaster Management Authority and Delhi government) be ordered to provide sanitary products, establish communal kitchens, and assure a supply of vital and high-quality food.

Dr. Akash Bhattacharya, the petitioner, has also asked the Delhi government for instructions to declare this flood a natural disaster under the Disaster Management Act, designate a nodal officer to assess the damage, and carry out quick surveys of flood victims in each camp. It has also asked the government for permission to give people who lost their possessions and residences instant cash assistance of Rs. 50,000.