Madras High Court pulls up officials for not attending monsoon meet

Chennai: The Madras high court has directed directors of municipal administration and water supply department and town planning and the commissioner to file their reply for not taking part in a committee meeting convened to discuss the arrangements to be made to face the ensuing monsoon. The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan, before which a PIL filed by A. Narayanan, of ChangeIndia came up for hearing on Friday, also directed chairman and managing director, Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board, who is chairman of the committee, for convening meeting violating the orders of the high court.

The petitioner, in his PIL, sought for direction to authorities concerned to construct storm-water drains, desilt waterways and water bodies and to take all other connected works, ahead of monsoon. He also cited this was a prime cause for December 2015 deluge following heavy rainfall. The first bench said that as rightly pointed out by the petitioner, the meetings of the committee were held in breach of the directions passed by this court earlier on June 4.

The directors of municipal administration and water supply department and town planning and the commissioner did not participate in the meeting. The petitioner, thus, has legitimate grievance that no progress could be achieved, unless there is coordination between them. “Let all the three officers file affidavits explaining their absence in the meeting and as to why the meetings are being conducted in breach of the orders for which purpose, even the chairman and managing director, Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board,  who is the chairman of the committee, will file an affidavit,” the bench said. The bench adjourned the matter to December 21 for further hearing.