The Delhi High Court will hear a public interest litigation (PIL) on 24th July that seeks urgent measures, including free ration, medical assistance, sanitary provisions, and other essentials for people residing at the Yamuna flood relief camps in the national capital.
The matter was brought before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula, who scheduled it for hearing on 24th July, 2023.
The PIL, filed through Advocate KR Shiyas, also requests the Delhi Government to declare the flood as a natural disaster under the National Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Additionally, it seeks immediate cash assistance of Rs. 50,000 for those who have lost their belongings and shelter due to the calamity.
The petitioner, Akash Bhattacharya, a former Assistant Professor of Azim Premji University, argues that the recent flood on the Yamuna floodplain is the most devastating calamity Delhi has experienced since 1978.
The plea highlights the authorities’ lackadaisical response, which resulted in the loss of livelihood for hundreds of poor individuals and the destruction of their only shelter, along with essential household items and important documents that established their existence.
The plea emphasizes that the Delhi Government has both a constitutional and statutory obligation to promptly assist victims of natural calamities under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the flood qualifies as a disaster under Section 2(d) of the said enactment.
