SHILLONG: The Meghalaya High Court has taken suo motu cognizance of the ongoing water crisis in Shillong, directing the state government to submit a report on the matter by December 18.
In its order passed on Tuesday, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice HS Thangkhiew directed that the matter be registered as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), expressing concern over the difficulties faced by the people of Shillong due to the crisis.
The Advocate General assured the court that he will look into the matter and file a report by Thursday.
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The water crisis in Shillong has been ongoing for some time, with residents facing severe difficulties due to the shortage. The Public Health Engineering (PHE) department had extended a four-day emergency water supply shutdown by another three days, plunging most of the city into an acute shortage.
The bench has directed the matter to be listed on Thursday, indicating a sense of urgency in addressing the crisis.
Meanwhile, the opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) has condemned the Meghalaya state government’s handling of the water crisis in Shillong, stating that the administration’s response to the situation has been inadequate.
In a statement, VPP spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh expressed the party’s disappointment, saying, “The Voice of the People Party condemns the unthoughtful action by the government that deprived the residents of Shillong of nearly one week of water supply.”
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Myrboh emphasized that while emergencies are unavoidable, the government’s response should be prompt and demonstrate a sense of urgency.
He further stressed that access to water is a fundamental right, and the government should have treated the matter with greater responsibility to mitigate the hardships faced by the people. “Since accessibility to water constitutes the right to life, the government should have attended the matter with great responsibility to save the people from great hardships,” he added.
The VPP spokesperson also highlighted the need for the concerned department to explore temporary solutions to provide water supply to the affected areas. “The department concerned should have worked out a temporary solution to provide water supply to the people,” Myrboh said.