HC seeks reply from LDA, LMC on PIL regarding open manholes

LUCKNOW: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Tuesday sought replies from the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) and the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) until May 31 regarding a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) initiated in the matter of open manholes and ducts within the municipal limits of the city. The order was passed by a division bench of justice Rajan Roy and justice Om Prakash Shukla on the PIL.

Earlier, advocate Adarsh Mehrotra brought the incident to the court’s notice by presenting a news item published in a daily newspaper on April 24 regarding the incident.

The court had taken cognizance of a newspaper report about a tragic incident in which an 8-year-old child lost his life after falling into an open manhole and initiated a suo motu PIL to address the issue of open manholes and ducts within the municipal limits of the city.

The court had directed the registration of a suo motu PIL, deeming it to be an important matter involving the public’s interest and requiring the attention of the municipal corporation. The court had sought correct facts of the incident from the municipal body.

As per the court’s order on Tuesday, advocate Kuldeep Pati Tripathi, representing the municipal corporation, informed the court that a sum of Rs. 5 lakh had been provided to the victim’s family, and over 300 open manholes had been closed in the city.

He also said that an FIR had been lodged against the responsible agency, resulting in its blacklisting, and action had been taken against the officers involved. Tripathi further said that a standard operating procedure (SOP) had been established to prevent reoccurrence of such incidents.

Considering the response of the municipal corporation, the court directed the LDA and LMC to file their reply in the form of counter affidavits by May 31, the next date of hearing the matter.