HC seeks NMC’s reply on poor condition of public wells
   Date :27-Apr-2023

condition of public wells 
 
 
Staff Reporter
The division bench of Justices Atul Chandurkar and M W Chandwani at Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court, on Wednesday, issued notices to Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and three other government agencies while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on the condition of public wells in the city. The petitioner, Sandesh Singalkar, filed the PIL after the municipal corporation could not provide information about the status of public wells in the city.
Municipal Commissioner; Regional Director of Central Groundwater Authority (CGWA); Regional Officer, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) are the respondents in the PIL. According to the petitioner, water of 50 per cent of the public wells is unfit for consumption, and wells have either dried up or turned into garbage pits. The court has ordered the respondents to file their replies within four weeks after issuing the notices.
According to a survey report of NEERI published in 2021, water in 50 per cent of the public wells in Nagpur is not fit for drinking as it is used as dumping garbage by the citizens. The petition highlights the need to revive the public wells in the city. The petitioner has also emphasised the importance of the right to information, which was not provided by the municipal corporation when inquired about the status of public wells. Adv Smita Singalkar represented the petitioner. The PIL was filed in 2021 by Singalkar.