Ajay Kumar Singh v. The Union Of India And ORS
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.22094 of 2011 ====================================================== Ajay Kumar Singh, S/O Late Brajbhushan Prasad Singh, resident of Village-Chapar Jorawar (Pachhkhutti), P.O. - Chapar, P.S. - Mohiuddin Nagar, District - Samastipur .... .... Petitioner
Versus
1. The Union of India, through Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Government of India
2. The Joint Secretary, Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry Of Rural Development, Government Of India, 9th Floor, Paryawaran Bhawan, C.G.O. Complex Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 100003
3. The Director, Central Pollution Control Board, Government of India, New Delhi
4. The State of Bihar through the Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar, Patna
5. The Principal Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department, Government Of Bihar, Bishweshraiya Bhawan, Baily Road, Patna
6. The Director (Quality Control and Quality Assurance Programme), Public Health Engineering Department, Governor Of Bihar, Bishweshraiya Bhawan, Baily Road, Patna
7. The Director, Central Ground Water Board, State Of Bihar, Patna
8. The Director, Bihar State Pollution Control Board, Patna
9. The District Magistrate, Samastipur
10. The Executive Engineer, Public Health Engineering Department, Samastipur
11. The Junior Engineer, Public Health Engineering Department, SubDivisional Dalsingsarai, District - Samastipur .... .... Respondents ====================================================== Appearance :
For the Petitioner : Mr. Siyaram Sahi, Advocate For the S t a t e : Mr. Ajay, G.A.12 For the Pollution Board : Mr. Shivendra Kishore, Sr. Advocate For the Union of India : Mr. Ravindra Kumar Sharma, C.G.C. ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE and HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE VIKASH JAIN ORAL ORDER (Per: HONOURABLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE) 02-02-2015 This writ petition is filed as Public Interest Litigation with a prayer to direct the respondents
2/4 to expedite the installation of a water treatment plant in Village-Chapar Jorawar (Pachhkhutti) of Samastipur district for supplying arsenic free drinking water, under National Rural Drinking Water Plan (NRDWP). It is stated that on account of non-availability of water treatment plant, the villagers are suffering severe health problems and in spite of filing representations in this regard, to the concerned authorities, no steps were taken. Heard Sri Siyaram Sahi, learned counsel for the petitioner, Sri Ajay, learned Government Advocate No.12 for the State, Sri Shivendra Kishore, learned Senior Counsel for the respondent-Pollution Board, and Sri Ravindra Kumar Sharma, learned Standing Counsel appearing for the Union of India.
This Public Interest Litigation is being heard for the past four years. The record discloses that the relief was claimed in respect of specific Village-Chapar Jorawar (Pachhkhutti) of
3/4 Samastipur district. However, this Court issued direction not only for installation of water treatment plant in the said village, but also in the other affected areas in the State.
Various proceedings issued and orders passed in this behalf, disclose that as many as 175 treatment plants were sanctioned and out of them 84 have been made functional. Work for 72 units is in progress and 19 units are yet to be started. As regards Samastipur, ten units are said to have been sanctioned and that all of them are made functional.
Today, learned counsel for the petitioner, on being asked repeatedly, submits that no unit was sanctioned to his village Chapra Jorawar at all. On perusal of the record, we find that the information of the petitioner is not correct. We find that the purpose of filing the writ petition is more than served. We accordingly close the writ petition.
4/4 The interlocutory application, if any, shall also stand disposed of. There shall be no order as to costs.
(L. Narasimha Reddy,CJ) (Vikash Jain, J) PNM U