"All Good In Paperwork, Nothing On Ground, No Supervision": Delhi High Court Calls For Task Forces To Control Mosquito Infestation

The Delhi High Court on Friday directed all the city local bodies, including the three municipal corporations and Delhi Cantonment Board, to constitute their task forces in order to monitor and control the menace of mosquito infestation in the city.

Expressing unhappiness over the inaction of the authorities on ground, Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Jasmeet Singh directed that such task forces shall be headed by the concerned Commissioners of the local bodies.

"The problem is, in paper work you are all very good, so you prepare reports, on paper you say you will issue orders that there should be no breeding. As if the mosquitoes will stop breeding if you say so in your file. Nothing on the ground," Justice Sanghi orally told Advocate Divya Prakash Pande representing the NDMC and SDMC in the matter.

The bench had taken suo moto cognizance on the issue of menace of large scale breeding of mosquitoes in the city resulting in vector borne diseases such as Malaria, Chikungunya and Dengue every year.

During the course of hearing, Pande apprised the Court that the application created for taking care of the visits done by employees of the municipal corporations has GPS control facility which enables the authority to check whether such employees have visited the site or not.

"It is a regular cycle. It's not something which we cannot anticipate. How can it be that the number goes up and double in one year? If you have been so proactive, then where is the proof of the pudding? There is nothing happening. People of Delhi continue to suffer," Justice Singh remarked at the outset.

He added "What is administration? Administration is anticipating, managing and taking corrective measures. It is a failure on all three counts. But on paper you have given us 10 things that everything is happening. Then the number should not have been there."

Referring to the status report filed in the matter, Justice Sanghi expressed displeasure over the insistence on excessive rain as a factor leading to the vector borne diseases.

"You want to put the entire blame on excessive rain. That means we are then left to the Gods. That is only giving excuses," he added.

"You need to put the responsibility on some person. If the numbers don't come down, that person should be liable for contempt action. We don't know how it is to be done. We are not experts here," Justice Singh said.

On this, the Court suggested that such a responsibility shall be allotted to a top official at the position of Commissioner or Additional Commissioner and not some official who is lower in ranking.

Pande therefore assured the Court that the next status report will include the details of the officers who are made responsible to deal with the issue.

"Every year for past 20 years we're suffering the same thing. And nothing seems to happen. Why does the Commissioner not take the moral responsibility and tender his resignation? What prevents him?" Justice Singh said.

During the course of hearing, Pande told the Court that the authorities were facing an issue with respect to the coordination from neighbouring areas which do not fall within the purview of the city. On this, Justice Sanghi remarked thus:

"Unfortunately, the whole approach, your instructions whosoever is instruct instructing you, approach seems to be a little improper. If you look at excuses, you will always find excuses. That can be a good reason to do nothing."

"Maybe you need a larger force to do this checking. You need more people on the ground. There should be proper monitoring of those who are put to tasks. Probably there is no supervision. Probably because the top man is sitting in his air conditioned office in the months of July or August when this is spreading. It's too hot and sultry to come out. He is not bothered. He is just looking at some paper reports. Window dressing is done. Paperwork is done."

The Court therefore directed the local bodies to submit a common status report regarding the steps taken by the task forces.

It also directed that the members of the task forces shall visit the site themselves ensuring that the actual work is carried out on the ground.

The matter will now be heard on January 14.

Earlier, the Court had appointed Advocate Rajat Aneja as amicus curiae for assisting it in the matter.

It had also expressed displeasure on the failure of municipal corporations to control the surge of vector borne diseases like Dengue, malaria and Chikungunya in the national capital, observing that it's earlier directions to control the same had fallen on deaf ears.

Title: Court in its own motion v. State