E-Paper
No gates on Setu for now: HC
THE DIVISION bench of the High Court stayed the ongoing construction of the ?controversial gates? on Hanuman Setu which caused the collapse a portion of the bridge on November 19. The construction has been stopped till a committee of experts gives it clearance.
‘Open pontoon bridge to ease traffic’
THE DIVISION bench of the High Court stayed the ongoing construction of the ‘controversial gates’ on Hanuman Setu which caused the collapse a portion of the bridge on November 19. The construction has been stopped till a committee of experts gives it clearance. The bench, comprising Justice Pradeep Kant and Justice BB Agrawal passed the orders on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a city lawyer JS Tomer on Thursday. The court directed that the administration should also open the pontoon bridge for the two and three-wheelers if traffic was becoming difficult to control. The bench directed the State Government to file a detailed reply explaining as to who cleared the construction on the bridge, who are responsible for negligence and what would be the future measures to stop the recurrence of the problem.
The bench expressed a strong displeasure and observed that the court was not a silent spectator to the agony and sufferings of the common man caused by the state administration. It would take a strict action if the officers concerned did not do their responsibilities in a proper manner.
The additional advocate general Jaideep Narain Mathur appeared before the court and assured that the traffic movement would become normal on the bridge within 24 hours but it would take a month to repair the damaged portion of the bridge. BS Kathuria, Nagar Nigam engineer, admitted before the court that the departments concerned like PWD had not given clearance to the construction of the gates on the bridge.
The judges expressed grave concern over the apathetic attitude of the officers of the administration towards the problems of the common man and the way the lives of thousands had been jeopardised.
