Patna: A division bench of Patna High Court comprising Justice Shivaji Pandey and Justice Partha Sarathy on Friday directed the state government to intensify measures to contain dengue in Patna on "war footing". Hearing a petition filed by the lawyers of Patna High Court, the Bench also asked the Patna Municipal Corporation authorities to carry out cleanliness drive in Patna and submit details of the measures taken following the water logging in the state capital by next Friday.
A lawyer of Patna High Court, Rajiv Lochan, died of dengue two days back here. Five judges of Patna High court, including Justice Partha Sarathy and principal advocate general Ram Balak Mahto were also affected by water logging as their residences remained under water for week. Even after three weeks, the southern and western colonies of the capital town are under knee-deep water.
The Bench regretted, in 2012 and 2014 too High Court had given directions to the state government to take measures to ensure water logging should be removed within 24 hours. It asked the state to give details of both long and short term measures to prevent water logging in Patna. High Court had earlier warned if water logging continued for more than 24 hours, contempt proceedings would be initiated against the corporation and district administration officials.
The Court directed the state to fix responsibility of individual officers for prolonged water logging, failure of the administration in dewatering operations as the pump sets did not work and sump houses remained closed. It allowed the government to evict encroachers from the drainage system networks and asked why a company from Singapore which was blacklisted earlier was entrusted with the job of construction of drainage network and pump houses.
Advocate General Lalit Kishore told the government about suspension of some employees, transfer of some officers and stoppage of payment of salaries of some staff of the Patna Municipal Corporation.
Meanwhile, the residents of Rajendra Nagar, a posh colony of the town, which houses the judges, top bureaucrats, big businessmen and industrialists, have decided to observe mass fast on Sunday demanding compensation from the government. Ram Lal Khaitan, president of Bihar Industries Association who lives in Rjenra Nagar, claimed all the four luxury cars parked in his bungalow have been damaged beyond repair.His entire ground floor house remained submerged for a week.There was damage of property worth Rs 50 lakhs in his house,he said.
