HC pulls up AMC over false records about STPs

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat high court on Monday lambasted the Ahmedabad Municipal Commission (AMC) over putting false records about STPs (sewage treatment plants) in its affidavit and observed that the court is doing the work that the AMC commissioner is supposed to do. Acting on a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL), the division bench of chief Justice Sunita Agrawal and Justice Vaibhavi Nanavati expressed its displeasure over the AMC’s work on Sabarmati pollution issue.
Amicus curie of the case Hemang Raval said that AMC had filed a false affidavit claiming 100% compliance of STPs which was exposed by a report of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB).
Citing the GPCB report, the court observed that it showed that two STPs of Vasna and Pirana were in extremely poor condition and most of the STPs were non-compliant. “You did not mention anything about STPs in your affidavit, you are silent on this issue,” observed the court for the AMC commissioner. Sewage water should go to STPs but is being bypassed directly into the river, observed the court. The court, while reprimanding the AMC commissioner, said, “You are giving false figures, stop misleading the court, accept your mistake. Give us performance, not assurances. We have to take your class every time.”
On the poor conditions of the STP, the court said that those STPs are not in good condition, which is why the civic body is bypassing the sewage water in the river.
“How will you stop the bypassing of sewage water? If you stop, your STPs are not in good condition, so what will you do,” asked the court, adding that there will be sewage water flooding Ahmedabad streets, waterlogging occurs even with one day of heavy rain. The next hearing of the PIL is scheduled on August 8.