HC refuses to intervene in flood relief, seeks better particulars

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday fixed September 9 for hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking court’s intervention and supervision in carrying out flood relief work in the two states after observing that it could distract authorities from urgent relief efforts.

The division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Yashvir Singh Rathor also called for “better particulars” while verbally observing that the present pleadings lacked necessary details. Shubham – a lawyer and a resident of Fazilka district – had filed the PIL “in the wake of devastating floods between August 25 and 29 that severely impacted Punjab and adjoining areas of Haryana, affecting thousands of lives and properties”.

Among other things, he sought judicial intervention to direct authorities to provide timely relief and rehabilitation, implement provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the Dam Safety Act, 2021, operationalise early warning systems, ensure public health safeguards, conduct technical audits of flood-control infrastructure, and undertake floodplain zoning.

The plea also sought the constitution of a court-monitored oversight committee to supervise implementation and file periodic reports. It stressed that the matter raised substantial legal issues concerning statutory duties of public authorities in disaster preparedness, response, and management, besides enforcement of fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 21.

The bench, during the course of hearing, observed: “Let them concentrate on their work presently. They’ll pull out some officer, and he will be sitting on the desk making a reply to this petition, whereas he should be spending time and energy helping the flood victims.”

Here’s a reframed version in crisp news-reporting style, keeping it direct and impactful:

Advocate Angrej Singh submitted that the ground-level response was grossly inadequate and that the state had failed to act in line with its statutory obligations. He argued that there was “poor coordination between Punjab, the Union Government and disaster management agencies”, which had created serious gaps in relief and rescue operations.

“The state has only 114 boats and one helicopter, while the NDRF has 30 to 35 helicopters as per the latest bulletins. There is a huge loss of livestock, and infrastructure damage cannot be fully assessed yet. The actual picture will emerge only after the water recedes,” he contended.