Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday directed the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to install the second Doppler radar in the city within 18 months.
A Division Bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Anuja Prabhudessai was hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Atal Bihari Dubey, which highlights the issues the city faces during heavy rain.
Although the land for installation of the Doppler has been identified and the allotment letter has been issued, it has still not been installed. Mr. Dubey informed the court that nothing has been done by the authorities to improve the condition during monsoon. He also said only after the Madhav Chitale Committee had suggested that radars would help the IMD improve its forecasts, the first Doppler was installed in Colaba in 2010.
ADVERTISEMENT
About potholes, Mr. Dubey said the committee had also said that pumping stations need to be set up, especially near Santa Cruz and Vile Parle railway stations, but no work has started so far. He also said another HC Bench had directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Railways to float tenders for removing garbage from the railway line from CSMT to Mankhurd, but the authorities are yet to act.
The HC directed the BMC and the Railways to file an affidavit on August 1.
In the previous hearing, the court had observed, “The civic body had already wasted a lot of time by not following the court orders and not fulfilling the commitments it had made before us. I don’t want Mumbai to go dark again like in the past during monsoon. The city requires a second Doppler radar immediately.”
ADVERTISEMENT