Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: A division bench of the Gauhati High Court comprising Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam closed a PIL (60/2021) filed by Tazuddin Ahemed and four others praying to issue a direction to the Union Ministry of Water Resources, CWC (Central Water Commission), the Brahmaputra Board, Assam Water Resources Department and others for granting approval to the CWC to the scheme R/S to B/Dyke from Bahari to Baghbor, including protection of Bahari and its adjoining areas along with channelization of river the Brahmaputra and reclamation of eroded land. They also prayed that the respondents be directed to take up the issue of erosion of Brahmaputra and its tributaries as a national problem so as to take holistic and scientific approach to solve the problem of erosion. Certain other ancillary relief has also been prayed.
The bench heard A.R. Sikdar, counsel for the petitioners, and Deputy Solicitor General of India R.K.D. Choudhury, standing Counsel for the state Water Resources Department R.M. Das, and state government's Additional Senior Government Advocate D.K. Sarmah.
DSGI R.K.D. Choudhury, in the affidavit is filed on behalf of Ministry of Water Resources and the CWC efforts to tackle the problem of erosion of Brahmaputra and its Tributaries has been mentioned, submitted that the respondents are seriously making efforts to tackle the problems highlighted by the petitioners in this PIL. In the latest affidavit filed on behalf of the respondent the aforesaid respondents, the efforts carried out by the respondents to tackle the problem of erosion in the Brahmaputra and its tributaries were mentioned as "That the deponent begs to state that compliance to the comments of Hydrology (NE) Directorate, CWC were submitted by Project Authorities on April 17, 2024. Accordingly, the aspects regarding Hydrology was finalized vide letter dated May 15, 2024 and the same forwarded to project authorities vide email dated May 15, 2024 with a request to submit modified DPR along with the compliance of earlier observations issued by the Central Water Commission at the earliest for needful action. Project authorities were reminded to send compliance vide letter dated June 27, /2024. However, the modified DPR from Project Authorities is still awaited."
R. M. Das, appearing for the Water Resources Department, submitted that the modified DPR from the Project Authorities is already received and the same has been sent to the Chief Engineer, BBO, CWC, for further action. Choudhury and Das have submitted that the project undertaken by the respondents will hopefully tackle the problem of erosion in the Bahari to Baghbor. It is also submitted that the project would be implemented by maintaining the time limit and standards. At this stage, learned counsel for the petitioners has submitted that the efforts carried out by the respondents to tackle the problems highlighted in the PIL petition are being addressed in a proper manner and, therefore, no further direction is required to be passed in this PIL petition for the present.
"In view of the above submission, we deem it appropriate to close this PIL petition. Hence, this PIL is disposed of," the bench said.
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