The Kerala High Court on Thursday, 30 August, initiated sou motu proceedings on the basis of a letter received by the court alleging that the recent floods that rocked Kerala were a result of criminal negligence of state authorities, Bar and Bench reported. The letter, initiated by one Joseph NR from Chalukudy, described the floods as man-made.
Taking note of the letter, the matter was placed before Chief justice Hrishikesh Roy and a writ petition registered.
According to Times of India, Joseph had in addition to the PIL sought a ‘legally empowered mechanism’ to obtain compensation for the loss suffered by the people.
The state government and largely blamed incessant rains as cause for the floods, but the letter points out that only Idukki and Palakkad districts received heavy rainfall, but no floods were reported, the Times of India report said. The water was held back by dams in these areas, however 42 dams opened in the rest of the State, causing massive flooding.
It is further alleged that there was no coordination between various offices when damns were opened, and no advanced warnings of evacuation were disseminated to the people.
“It is clear that the floods would not have occurred anywhere if the Govt had opened the shutters even as late as 25 July 2018 and released waters 1/5th of what they did till 15 August 2018,” Times of India quoted the letter as saying.
Kerala is still suffering from the aftermath of its worst floods in a century, having suffered damages close to Rs 20,000 crore, along with 265 lives lost.
(With inputs from Times of India, Bar and Bench)
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