Former Member of Parliament Nana Patole has written to the Bombay High Court requesting to declared the Maharashtra flood as man-made disaster.
In a letter addressed to Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog of the Bombay high court, Nana Patole and Mumbai-based social activist Dr Sanjay Lakhe Patil have urged the court to take a decision under Disaster Management Act 2005 (Section 2-(d).
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Sat 21 Dec. 2024
The duo stated that the responsibility of inaction and delayed response should be investigated by an expert committee set up by the court.
They said that the committee should suggest preventive measures that must be taken in the future to prevent such disasters.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Bombay high court seeking an expert enquiry committee into the flood situation and water-logging in parts of Maharashtra and fix responsibility of inaction and mismanagement of water are dams on Krishna River.
“Petitioners Raosaheb alias Narsappa Annappa Alase and Rajendra Shivgonda Patil are residents of Kolhapur and have sought that the state and central government should take action against the responsible officers, public servants and other responsible persons for dereliction of duty,” said a report by India Today.
The petitioners stated that the Maharashtra government and Centre did not follow the Guidelines for Preparing Operation and Maintenance Manual for Dams issued by Central Water Commission (CWC).
With most of the rivers in Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara now flowing below the danger marks, communication to almost all villages in the region has been restored.
As per the figures available so far, 1519 houses were damaged completely in floods while 19,780 partially.
On Monday, the state announced loan waiver for farmers, new houses for those who lost their dwellings built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and free foodgrain for people affected by the flood.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said a committee will determine causes for the unparalleled floods and suggest measures to avoid their recurrence. “The farmers who have lost crops on up to one hectare will get complete loan waiver.”
The government has also decided to pay annual rent of Rs 24,000 (rural) and Rs 36,000 (urban localities) in the flood-hit areas, where people have been forced to live in rented accommodation, the chief minister said. The rent will be paid to the flood victims till their houses are rebuilt, he said.
