Pulling up three IAS officers for not taking part in meetings of a Special Committee constituted by the Madras High Court, the First Bench has directed the officers to file separate affidavits explaining their absence.
The Special Committee headed by the Chairman and Managing Director of Chennai Metrowater Supply and Sewerage Board, comprising the Director of Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, Chennai, the Director of Town Planning, Chennai, and the Commissioner of Chennai Corporation, besides other nominated members was constituted by the High Court to give recommendations to abolish manual scavenging and to regulate the sewerage system.
Originally, social activist A. Narayanan moved a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition seeking a direction to the authorities concerned to construct stormwater drains, desilt waterways and water bodies and to take all other connected work to prevent flooding during monsoon. When the PIL came up for hearing on Friday, the petitioner pointed out that the meetings of the committee were held in breach of the directions passed by this court. The order made it mandatory that the Directors of Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, the Town Planning and the Commissioner of Chennai Corporation participate in the meetings. Without their participation, the purpose of the meetings and the objective of the committee could not be fulfilled, the petitioner pointed out.
Recording the submission, the First Bench of Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan said, “Let all the three officers file affidavits explaining their absence in the meeting and as to why the meetings are being conducted in breach of the orders for which purpose even the Chairman and Managing Director, Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board, who is the Chairman of the Committee, will file an affidavit.”
Directs them to file affidavits explaining their absence at meetings of committee formed by court
