'Take concrete steps, instead of holding meeting': SC to Punjab, Haryana on flooding in villages
Darpan News Desk IANS, 15 Nov, 2022 11:41 AM
New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Punjab and Haryana governments to take concrete steps instead of holding meetings in connection with the flooding in 25 villages due to overflowing of river Ghaggar.
A bench of Justices M.R. Shah and M.M. Sundresh said the common man is not interested in meeting, but interested in a solution. "Every state government should consider the public interest first above the politics," it said.
The bench noted that after its last orders in the matter, except two meetings of the Ghaggar Standing Committee, no concrete steps have been taken by the state governments on the recommendations made by the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune.
It directed the state governments to submit the proposed detailed project reports (DPR) to implement the recommendations made by CWPRS, in its final model study report.
Counsel representing Punjab and Haryana governments urged the apex court to grant four weeks time to prepare and submit the DPR on the implementation of the CWPRS recommendations and earlier orders passed by the court.
The bench noted that DPRs should be absolutely in tune with the recommendations of the CWPRS, and no state should deviate from the same.
It gave four weeks' time to submit the DPR and also the orders passed by the court and scheduled the matter for further hearing on January 3 next year.
The bench asked Chief Secretaries of both states present before it to take up the issue seriously and sincerely.
The top court was hearing a plea filed by Nagar Panchayat Moonak and others in connection with over-flooding in Ghaggar Basin which was affecting 25 villages in Punjab and Haryana.
It, in August, had directed Punjab and Haryana governments to take measures recommended by the CWPRS to resolve the issue of flooding in 25 villages due to overflowing of the Ghaggar.
Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday congratulated former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar for joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that the "right man is in the right party". He said more leaders are likely to desert the sinking ship of the Congress in the coming days.
The Chief Minister also sought a compensation of Rs 500 per quintal for low yield of wheat in the state. He said due to intense heat during this summer season, the wheat grains in Punjab have been damaged, adding it is the high time that farmers must be compensated for this damage by giving compensation.
The top court noted it was urged that simply because it was a spontaneous incident where no weapon was used, but held that this cannot be a ground to inflict minimal and innocuous punishment of fine of Rs 1,000.
At the time of the Partition, Mumtaz Bibi was an infant who was lying on her mother's dead body who was killed by the violent mobs, Dawn news reported. One Muhammad Iqbal and his wife, Allah Rakhi, adopted the infant and raised her as their own daughter, naming her Mumtaz Bibi.
The meeting between the Chief Minister and leaders of 23 farmers' unions under the banner of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha that lasted for over two and half hours here.
Besides, the NCSC also asked the government to stop the eviction drive and maintain status quo. In a complaint to the NCSC, residents of Bhama Kalan village said they have possession of 200 acres in the village since 1947.
