New Delhi, Sep 20 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has pulled up city government agencies over the persistent waterlogging and traffic congestion in the Mahipalpur area near the airport, observing that despite several meetings, “there appears to be no responsibility fixed” for carrying out the proposed remedial measures.
A division bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora directed the Delhi Chief Secretary to hold further meetings and submit a report identifying the agency responsible for each short-term and long-term measure to tackle the problem.
The High Court said that the responsible agencies must also provide specific timelines for implementing the measures by the next date of hearing on October 30.
“The extensive meetings which have been held post the last order… have resulted in enormous paperwork, but on the ground, there appears to be no responsibility fixed as to which job is to be undertaken by which agency or company. No timelines have also been fixed,” the Justice Singh-led Bench observed.
The directions came while hearing a petition filed by Social Jurist, a civil rights group, concerning severe waterlogging in Mahipalpur, an area located near the Indira Gandhi International Airport and on the access route towards Gurugram.
The Delhi High Court had earlier directed a Special Task Force, constituted in another matter and supervised by the Delhi Chief Secretary, to hold meetings with all relevant stakeholders, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Delhi Jal Board, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the Public Works Department and, if required, airport operator GMR Group, to examine the feasibility of constructing a storm water drain.
A status report placed before the High Court stated that a high-level meeting was convened under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary on August 3, following which several directions were issued. The minutes of the meeting recorded that the effective carrying capacity of the existing drainage network had been compromised following development works in the Aerocity area, severely affecting discharge into the Najafgarh Drain.
The Chief Secretary directed executing agencies of large-scale infrastructure projects to ensure integrated drainage connectivity so that surrounding areas and arterial corridors do not suffer water stagnation.
The NHAI was also asked to conduct technical evaluations and submit a permanent and sustainable drainage proposal in consultation with Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and other stakeholders. Meanwhile, DIAL gave an in-principle commitment to construct a 3.5-km storm water drain along NH-48 from Shankar Vihar to Radisson Circle.
Pending permanent engineering solutions, the agencies were directed to deploy interim measures, including stationary/PTO pumps and clearing of inlets, to prevent waterlogging during the monsoon.
The High Court was further informed that several meetings of the Special Task Force were held between August 4 and September 7, following which NHAI, along with DIAL, proposed short-term and long-term measures. The short-term measures include setting up pumping stations at Samalkha and Mahipalpur Junction. The long-term measures include elimination of the hydraulic choke point in the Mahipalpur Drain, re-planning of the drainage system of the Dwarka Expressway with suitable connectivity to the Mahipalpur Drain, regular cleaning and desilting of the Samalkha Drain and Najafgarh Drain, and improvement of the railway drainage system to prevent uncontrolled inflow towards the Dwarka Expressway tunnel.
However, the High Court expressed displeasure at the manner in which the matter was being handled by the agencies.
“The callous approach of NHAI in the appearance today before the Court is completely not appreciated,” the bench said, adding that no official from NHAI was present and its counsel, who appeared virtually, was not prepared to make substantive submissions and merely sought an adjournment.
The order also recorded that DIAL was seeking an adjournment after stating that its proposal for constructing the 3.5-km storm water drain was only a “good faith proposal”.
According to the Delhi government, redevelopment in the Aerocity area and on the national highway had contributed to the waterlogging situation in Mahipalpur, where substantial traffic congestion was also reported almost daily.
“The images of waterlogging at Mahipalpur ought to have evoked a serious response from these agencies. However, there is none as no specific agency is willing to take the responsibility to fix the issue of waterlogging or traffic congestion,” the Delhi High Court observed.
It added that although the minutes of the meetings had assigned certain actions to various agencies, the principal short-term and long-term proposals had come from NHAI, which “appears to be the agency responsible for the said area”.
The Chief Secretary was accordingly directed to convene two further meetings by October 15 and submit a report identifying the short-term and long-term measures and the agency or entity responsible for their implementation.
The High Court directed that by October 30, the agencies assigned responsibility must file status reports setting out the steps to be undertaken by them along with specific timelines. “Moreover, the regular waterlogging in the Mahipalpur area as well as the traffic congestion in the said area needs to be resolved by NHAI and DIAL on a speedy basis with a proper proposal by the next date of hearing, failing which, the Court would be constrained to pass some stringent directions in this regard,” the bench warned.
It further directed that responsible officials from all agencies remain present at the next hearing and that counsels appear physically along with competent officials capable of taking responsibility and answering the court’s queries. The matter has been listed for further hearing on October 30.
–IANS
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