Gauhati High Court Directs State To Furnish Details Of Interim Measures Taken To Deal With Pollution Of Bharalu River

The Gauhati High Court recently directed the State Government to furnish the details regarding the interim measures to be taken by it to deal with the pollution of the Bharalu River in Guwahati.

The division bench of Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam was hearing a suo moto PIL in which an affidavit was filed on behalf of the Additional Secretary, Department of Urban Affairs, Dispur, Guwahati regarding the proposed measures for dealing with the problem of pollution in the Bharalu River at Bharalumukh, Guwahati.

As per the said measures mentioned in the affidavit, three numbers of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) are proposed to be constructed at different locations. In the affidavit, it was mentioned that Phase I and Phase II of the project are scheduled to be completed in the year 2030.

The Standing Counsel of the High Court Advocate H.K. Das submitted that as a matter of fact the action plan for Bharalu River has already been prepared in the year 2019 and the State Government has now come up with a project to deal with the problem of pollution in the Bharalu River in the year 2024 only.

He further submitted that though in the action plan, certain interim measures have been suggested till the whole project is completed, but those interim measures have not been taken by the respondent State.

“Having heard the learned counsel for the parties, we direct the learned counsel for the respondents to furnish the details regarding the interim measures to be taken by the respondents to deal with the pollution of Bharalu River till the completion of the project which is scheduled to be completed in the year 2030,” the bench said.

Case Title: XXX v. The State of Assam & 4 Ors.

Case No.: PIL(Suo Moto)/4/2023

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