Latest news with #PublicInterestLitigation
India Today
11 hours ago
- India Today
Local train death cases alarming: High Court seeks report from Railway committees
The Bombay High Court on Friday termed the situation 'alarming' after taking note of the June 9 incident in which eight passengers fell from two local trains passing each other, resulting in five division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by daily commuter Yatin Jadhav, directed the Railways to provide detailed information on two expert committees — one specifically investigating the June 9 incident between Mumbra and Kalwa stations, and another high-level panel focused on the broader issue of commuter court asked the railway authorities to submit the committees' recommendations along with implementation timelines. 'You have to take action to ensure that this should not happen in the future. This should not happen,' said Chief Justice Aradhe during the hearing. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Anil Singh, representing the Railways, informed the court that a multidisciplinary committee headed by a senior divisional safety officer has been constituted to investigate the incident. The report from this committee is awaited."Apart from this, looking into the concerns about the safety of daily commuters, the railway has set up a high level committee, which is a separate committee from the Mumbra incident, and the entire object of the committee is 'zero death mission'. This is on the entire Central and Western Railway. That committee is already working and a number of steps have already been taken,' Singh told the the bench expressed grave concern over the continuing accidents. 'No, but obviously, these steps taken by you are clearly not sufficient. What should be done?' the Chief Justice Marne cited railway data from 2024, which recorded 3,580 deaths — an average of 10 fatalities per day. 'This is an alarming situation. Ten deaths every day! This is your own data,' he said. He acknowledged a 46 per cent reduction compared to 2009 but emphasised that the numbers remain Justice Aradhe underlined the need for immediate and effective action. 'What is required to be done, do it. This can't be accepted. The doors should not be open and you should ensure that there is no scope for falling,' he Singh then told the court that the railways are working towards that and have already undertaken work like fencing of railway tracks so that trespassing can be curtailed. 'Construction of fencing between two railway tracks is also being looked into. We have shifted stalls from stations to prevent overcrowding and we have increased the number of coaches.'The bench has scheduled the next hearing of the PIL for July Watch
Indian Express
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Alarming situation', says HC on 10 deaths per day in Mumbai local train system; suggests use of automatic doors
Expressing deep concern over the 'alarming and disturbing situation' of fatalities on Mumbai's suburban railway system, with nearly 10 deaths occurring daily, the Bombay High Court Friday suggested that the railways consider installing automatically closing doors on local trains to prevent commuters from falling off. The court said that the 'unfortunate' Mumbra train accident reported earlier this month, in which five commuters lost their lives after falling off overcrowded trains, should not have happened. It pointed out that as per an earlier response by the railways, nearly 3,588 deaths took place on the Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) suburban systems in 2024, and said that measures taken so far are insufficient. The high court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by one Yatin Jadhav, a daily commuter who raised concerns over the high rate of fatalities in the second busiest suburban railway system in the world and sought the formation of an expert panel to recommend measures to eliminate deaths due to untoward incidents. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, representing the Centre, informed the division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep V Marne that the railways have a high-level monitoring committee which has a 'zero death mission' in place, and a multi-disciplinary committee headed by a senior divisional safety officer has now been formed to examine what led to the accident in Mumbai. The court then directed the concerned committees to consider the suggestions by the petitioner, represented by senior advocate Rohan Shah and advocate Surabhi Prabhudesai, and place their recommendations on record within three weeks, along with the timelines within which such measures can be implemented. 'What disturbs us is that in 2024, 3,588 deaths took place on CR and WR, which averages to 10 deaths per day. So every day, 10 Mumbaikars die while travelling on the train. And these numbers of deaths are due to falling down from a train, (being) hit by a pole or (due to) gap between the footboards and the platform. This is an alarming situation. This is your data. Though you (railways) have projected that there is a reduction of deaths by 46 per cent compared to 2009, it is still not sufficient,' Justice Marne remarked orally. CJ Aradhe added, 'This (Mumbra incident) should not have happened. But, obviously, these measures which you (railways) have taken are not sufficient… The local train (doors) should not be open so that there is no scope for overcrowding. You should provide automatic doors which close. Why can't you do that to achieve your goal? This is one of the suggestions as a layperson. We are not experts in rail safety, but probably this may be one of the major suggestions of the committee.' In August last year, the railways informed the high court that over 45,000 lives were lost in the suburban railway system in over 15 years. ASG Singh submitted that railway authorities were taking steps under its 'zero death mission', including construction of boundary walls and fencing walls near the tracks, along with partitions between tracks to avoid trespassing and crossing, besides removing some stalls on platforms which become overcrowded, and said the authorities will continue to take further steps. He further submitted that while the authorities are taking steps to improve the system, there are constraints as they can construct such walls or fences only during late-night hours as trains cannot be halted, else the entire city will come to a standstill. Singh added that the multidisciplinary committee examining the causes of the Mumbra incident shall soon suggest remedial measures, which will be produced before the court along with timelines to implement them. Seeking a response from the railway committees, the high court posted further hearing for July 14.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Centre reviews HC order to resume MGNREGA in West Bengal from August 1
The Centre is looking at various options following the Kolkata High Court's (HC) order directing it to re-start the stalled Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in West Bengal from August 1, according to senior officials. They said the order is being studied in detail to understand all the nuances after which a formal stand could be taken. The Kolkata HC, in an order issued on Wednesday, directed the Centre to resume the MGNREGA scheme in the state that has been stalled since three years, but with some riders. The Court, while asking the Centre to restart the scheme, also allowed it to impose any condition or restriction that it deems necessary so that corruption that occurred previously is not repeated. The HC's order was passed following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that claimed the poor were being denied their legitimate entitlement under the Act, which guarantees 100 days of employment per year to rural households. A division Bench comprising Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Chaitali Chatterjee Das issued the order. The Bench noted that neither the Centre nor the State had taken any action against those involved in the alleged corruption, which had delayed the scheme's implementation in West Bengal. Both the ruling Trinamool Congress and Opposition BJP claimed victory, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saying that the Centre wants to restart all the social welfare programmes stalled in the state since the last three years. BJP also welcomed the order saying that the control of the scheme will now rest with the Centre, and there won't be any retrospective payments and genuine beneficiaries will be included in MGNREGS not ghost workers. It added that the order also meant that all recovered money from the mishandling of funds will go back to the consolidated fund of India. The Left-affiliated All India Agricultural Workers Union said that the verdict is the result of the continued struggles of the agricultural workers of West Bengal and unity of the workers, peasants, and agricultural workers. The union government had been withholding MGNREGS funds for West Bengal by imposing Section 27 of the Act that allows it to stop funds for violation of rules in implementation of the scheme by the State. The section was first invoked in December 2021 alleging large-scale corruption and violation of guidelines. In a parliament reply made in July 2022, the ministry of rural development had acknowledged that on account of non-compliance of its directives, as per provision of Section 27 of MGNREGA, the release of funds to the State of West Bengal has been stopped. At that time, the pending liabilities for MGNREGS wages was estimated at ₹2,605 crore.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Madras HC bins plea for panel on Tiruchendur temple repairs
MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) which sought a direction to constitute an expert committee to finalise the renovation and repair works in Subramaniya Swamy temple at Tiruchendur. A bench of justices S M Subramaniam and A D Maria Clete observed that such a committee had been already formed by the state government, based on a direction issued by the court on April 24. If at all, the petitioner is of the opinion that any customary practices were being violated, he can approach the competent authority under HR & CE Act. The litigant Ramkumar Adityan, an advocate from Thoothukudi, alleged in his petition that the temple administration has begun constructing additional amenities building for the temple in a coastal regulation zone without obtaining prior clearance. The construction plan for the parking facility also revealed a possibility of traffic congestion in Kamarajar Salai, North, South, East and West car streets, among others, he claimed. He requested the court to direct the government to appoint a committee with members who have expertise in Thantra Samuchiyam, Kerala Sambrathaya Agamam and Kumara Thantram Agamam, to inspect and identify violations, if any, in the renovation and repair works.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
HC orders Centre to restart MGNREGA in Bengal from Aug 1, TMC says state govt vindicated
Stating that no central scheme can be sent to cold storage forever, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to restart MGNREGA, the 100-day rural job guarantee scheme, in West Bengal prospectively from August 1. The Division Bench of the High Court, led by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam, allowed the Centre to impose special conditions, restrictions, and regulations — not imposed in other states — to ensure that no irregularity occurs when the scheme is being implemented in West Bengal. The BJP-led government at the Centre had stopped the implementation of the scheme in West Bengal from March 9, 2022, alleging widespread irregularities and non-compliance of its directives by the state. The TMC government in the state, on the other hand, accused the Centre of withholding the MGNREGA dues for 'political reasons' and said that it has submitted 22 compliance reports to the Centre but to no avail. The Division Bench, also comprising Justice Chaitali Chatterjee (Das), said: 'The scheme of the Act does not envisage a situation where the scheme would be put to cold storage for eternity… The Centre can impose any kind of conditions to prevent corruption… If the Center wants, it can send money directly to the account of a specific person through the central portal. The Centre can carry out necessary surveillance to prevent corruption. In addition, the Centre can continue investigations in all the districts of the state.' The High Court's order came on a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) filed by an outfit of labourers called Paschim Banga Khet Mansoor Samity. The group sought the outstanding wages of workers settled with at least 0.05 per cent interest. BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, also filed an application demanding a CBI investigation into the alleged embezzlement of Central funds in the scheme's implementation in West Bengal. Welcoming the High Court's order, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Centre must immediately release the arrears under MGNREGA scheme and other rural development projects before sending further inquiry teams to the state. 'We welcome the High Court judgment. Let them (Centre) restart the programme first. This is not their money, it's public money. It's our right to get it,' Banerjee said at a press conference at Nabanna. 'We did not even go to court; an individual organisation went. From the government's side, we will go for a review to demand the arrears. The Centre is sending teams to Bengal, but first, give us the due money. Not a single rupee has been released for the past few years. This is public money,' she said. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that the High Court's order vindicated the state government's stand. 'The order vindicated our stand and our fight for the central funds. The Centre has been blocking Bengal government's dues illegally and in a discriminatory manner. The High Court had on April 10 directed the central government to state why the MGNREGA scheme should not be prospectively implemented in West Bengal, leaving out four districts. It has been stated that there are allegations of defalcation of funds with regard to four districts of Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly, Malda and Darjeeling (GTA area). The Central government on Wednesday submitted its stand in the form of an affidavit on implementing the NREGA scheme prospectively in the state. During the hearing on Wednesday, the court said: 'From beginning, in so many hearings, we are trying to make it clear whether the legal beneficiaries will get their wages. If there are 10 people who have genuinely done the work, what about them?' To this, Additional Solicitor General Ashok Chakraborty, representing the Central government, said: 'Who is to assess whether these people have genuinely worked or not? Since there is factual proof of misappropriation of funds and unless we are satisfied with the State's action taken report, we cannot disburse funds.' The Chief Justice then said: 'Whatever has happened has happened. Now, draw a line and make a beginning. Prospectively implement the scheme from August 1. Impose conditions. Parallelly proceed with your inquiry and recovery of misappropriated amounts.' State Advocate General AG Kishore, representing the West Bengal government, said that nodal officers might not be required anymore for wage distribution as the Centre has come out with a new portal for the electronic disbursement of payments. The matter will come up for further hearing after August 15. Before the Centre had suspended the MGNREGS in West Bengal in March 2022, 75.97 lakh families had availed the scheme in the state in 2021-22. The number was even higher (79.65 lakh) during 2020-21, the year that saw the outbreak of Covid-19. The last allocation, made in 2021-22, was for 27 crore labour days, out of which wages worth Rs 3,500 crore were withheld by the Centre. In the previous year, 2020-21, the allocation had been 41 crore labour days. Responding to a starred question asked by TMC member Jawar Sircar, Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh on December 06, 2023, informed Rajya Sabha that a total amount of Rs 13,965.91 crore was pending as Central share for two schemes—MG-NREGS and PMAY-G. The West Bengal government sources, however, say that the total dues of about Rs 18,000 crore are pending under three rural development schemes—MG-NRGES, PMAY-G, and PMGSY. In January this year, West Bengal's Rural Development Minister Pradip K Mazumdar had written a letter to the Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, seeking an appointment for a meeting to urge the latter to release funds. TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee had led two delegations of party MPs to Krishi Bhawan, seeking the release of funds to the states. Recently, the Ministry of Rural Development had informed a parliamentary standing committee that the decision to release funds amounting to Rs 7,888.67 crore to West Bengal under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) during the current financial year (2024-25) is pending with 'competent authority'. With inputs from ENS, New Delhi
