Article 21 Also Involves Right To Clear Drinking Water: MP HC Observes While Summoning Chief Secretary Over Indore Deaths
“It is important to mention that the right to life under Article 21 also includes the right to clean drinking water”: The Madhya Pradesh high court
BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh high court on Tuesday observed that ‘The right to life under Article 21 (of the Constitution) also includes the right to clean drinking water’.
A division bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi, while hearing a slew of petitions seeking a directive to the authorities concerned to ensure safe drinking water to the residents of the locality in Indore, affected by water contamination, indicated that it was responsibility of the government to ensure safe drinking water to the people.
“It is important to mention that the right to life under Article 21 also includes the right to clean drinking water”, the court has noted.
The bench orally observed that Indore water contamination deaths brought disrepute to the city, which was once recognized as the cleanest city of the country and has attracted international attention for all the wrong reasons.
The high court has taken a strong view of the status report submitted by the Indore Municipal Corporation and state administration regarding the death toll in the incident and described the incident as extremely grave, according to high court bar association president Ritesh Inani who is also one of the petitioners.
Observing that the contaminated water issue is not limited to Indore but is a statewide concern, the bench directed the chief secretary of Madhya Pradesh government to appear via video conferencing on January 15 to appraise about measures taken to prevent water contamination across the state.
The high court directed the authorities concerned to ensure the immediate supply of safe drinking water through tankers, at government costs, to all affected areas.
It called for immediate stoppage of water supply from contaminated sources including specific pipelines, borewell and river sources.
The court directed to provide free medical treatment in government hospitals as well as paneled private hospitals.
With regard to issues of accountability, disciplinary action, compensation, direction to local bodies and public awareness and transparency, the court stated that these aspects would be considered after the respondents filed their detailed replies.
Meanwhile, 38 fresh cases of vomiting and diarrhea linked to water contamination were reported from the affected area on Monday.
Official death toll has increased to seven, while the Congress put the death toll at 17.
As many as 110 patients, including 15 in the intensive care units (ICUs), are currently undergoing treatment.
