The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) which sought to improve the maintenance of arterial roads through Mumbai and observed that the city’s roads are generally well maintained and in better condition than the Kolkata roads.
A bench consisting of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice MS Karnik rejected the PIL filed by a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) corporal, saying the court is not the place where political battles could be fought.
The bench asked the petitioner, Prabhakar Shinde, why he did not take any action for the construction and maintenance of the roads under the jurisdiction of the civic body while he was a public official. The bench noted that the PIL had made generic statements about poor road conditions in Mumbai and that Shinde was unaware of the actual number of complaints lodged with the BMC by citizens about it. ”The citizens are not harmed and they do not complain that the roads are not maintained. You are a corporator, you can raise it in society. Why are you coming here?” questioned the HC.
”Tell us what are the bad roads? It’s not enough to say the roads are bad and potholes,’ the High Court said.
Shinde’s PIL said poor road conditions in Mumbai had led to several road accidents and fatalities.
The corporal had requested the maintenance of all roads under the jurisdiction of the BMC. He also asked that a report be requested from the civic body with details of funds sanctioned and spent on road construction, repairs and maintenance over the past 25 years.
The HC, however, rejected the PIL. ”I also come from a metropolitan city. And considering the roads from where I come from (Kolkata) and where I reside now, it’s much better,’ the bench said, adding that it was not a place to political battles. “Let’s not drag ourselves there,” observed the judges.
(This story has not been edited by the Devdiscourse team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
