HC gives Sangrur admn 10 days to clear carcasses, wants status report

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday gave 10 days’ time to the local authorities in Sangrur to clear carcasses in Bakhora Khurd locality and sought a status report on the matter.

It was after repeated pleas and assurances from government counsel that the high court did not order pitching of tents at the carcass ground for the deputy commissioner, Punjab Pollution Control Board chief, and the local sub-divisional magistrate.

“At this juncture, we felt that mandamus is required in the first place to the chairman of Punjab Pollution Control

Board, deputy commissioner of Sangrur district and sub-divisional magistrate of Lehragaga, to personally reside in the said place for a week by pitching a tent so that they will understand the plight of people,” said the bench of justices SN Satyanarayana and Archana Puri.

“We felt that it is necessary to pass such order to make these people wake up to the realities in life, instead of spending their time in the palatial house and sitting over the representations of the common people and not even taking care of that for years,” the bench added giving 10 days’ time for clearing of carcass there and submitting compliance report by September 18.

The court was hearing an application from Gurpreet Singh, a local resident, who had sought preponement of his October 2019 plea seeking shifting of carcass ground, which is adjacent to the road and near the school in the said locality.

The court was shown photographs by Singh’s counsel, Manish Kumar who said that the local authorities were apprised of the problem but to no avail.

The bench further observed that photos clearly disclose the pathetic condition, under which the residents are living and records would also indicate that besides local authorities, representation was also given to the ministry of environment, forest and climate change in July last year.