High Court puts Punjab on notice

Saurabh Malik

  Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 23

Acting on a petition claiming non-repair of a road dug up some two years ago for laying a sewerage line, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has put the State of Punjab on notice.

In her petition placed before Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain, petitioner-advocate Naveender PK Singh of Zirakpur claimed that neither was the sewerage line made functional nor was the stretch from the old Ambala road to several societies made motorable.

The petitioner also claimed that the stretch near the Gazipur gurdwara was the sole access for tens of thousands of people living therein. Seeking directions to the respondents to make the sewerage line functional, the petitioner added it was left clogged with mud and concrete.

Elaborating further, she added it was still lying unconnected and was practically of no use. Directions were also sought for setting up proper storm-water drains on both sides of the road.

 She added that the matter was taken up with the authorities concerned, including the Municipal Engineer, and the Sub-Divisional Officer, from time to time. 

However, even after assurances of doing the needful, nothing has actually been done till date.

She further claimed that the respondents had collected “huge amounts of money” from all societies as development charges. Yet, the basic development and amenity of a motorable road with proper drainage had not been provided since the inception of the societies almost six-seven years back.

“Though the state runs with the money paid by its citizens as taxes, somehow they forget this aspect and start treating its citizens as beggars. This attitude of the state authorities is deplorable and causing tremendous hardships”.

She added the respondents were all severally liable for the dangerous situation they had put the petitioner and residents of all the societies into, by allowing the stretch to become a death trap.