Chhattisgarh High Court Takes Suo Moto Cognizance Of Plight Of Flooded Villages In Bijapur, Seeks District Collector's Reply

Taking suo moto cognizance of a news article published about the plight of many flooded villages in the Bijapur region (Bastar division), the Chhattisgarh High Court has sought the District Collector's immediate reply on the public interest litigation.

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal allowed the registration of a suo moto case upon office reference, based on a news item published on the e-website of 'Bansal News' titled '30 Villages Turn Into Islands Due To Rains, Residents Brave Floods For Survival…'.

The news report, published on 3^rd August, suggested that the absence of a bridge on Chintavagu River in the Bhopalpattanam block has cut off over three villages from the rest of Bijapur in the heavy rains, turning them into islands. The news portal also mentions how the villagers have been putting their lives at stake, and covering many kilometres on foot for free ration. The villagers from the flood-affected regions have been crossing overflowing rivers and culverts to survive for the last 77 years, the news article adds.

The requests made by the residents of some of these villages for opening a PDS shop within their localities have been in vain, the report specifies. The news website also alludes to how the bridge construction has been a long-standing demand of the residents for the last 15 years. According to the report, the villagers even requested the district authorities for a motorboat as an alternative, so that they could collect free ration from the distant PDS shops.

Advocate General Prafull N. Bharath, submitted that the news item was an exaggerated version of the situation. However, he admitted how certain parts of the Bastar region become acutely affected by floods in the rainy season, As a precaution, the government usually allows the supply of four months' ration all at once to avoid such undesirable after-effects of flooding, the AG added.

Justifying the absence of PDS shops in some of the affected villages, the Advocate General explained the state policy of not opening shops where the number of beneficiaries is less than 500. He also added that the water levels have gone down substantially now. In the prevailing scenario, the villagers won't be facing much difficulty in obtaining food items from PDS shops, the AG stated before the court.

The AG also informed the court that the District Administration has been taking necessary steps to ensure the distribution of food grains to beneficiaries.

After hearing the state's initial submissions, the High Court has asked the Bijapur District Collector to file a personal affidavit on the matter by 14^th August.

Case Title: In The Matter Of Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation 30 Villages Turn Into Islands Due To Rains, Residents Brave Floods For Survival.. v. State of Chhattisgarh & Ors.

Case No: WPPIL No. 57 of 2024

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