The Supreme Court on Friday entertained two PIls on the crucial issue of disaster preparedness of States and mechanism to control possible outbreak of epidemics in the wake of a natural calamity.
What made the Court sit up and take notice was the recent tragedy that struck in Uttarakhand where a cloudburst in the upper regions of the state caused flash floods resulting in colossal loss of human life and property. The PIl filed by one Fraz Naseem pointed out that Uttarakhand was one among the seven States which had failed to implement the Disaster Management Act when faced with a natural catastrophe.
A Bench of Justices AK Patnaik and MY Eqbal sought response from the Centre as also the other erring states of Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat and Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Had the State put in place the necessary mechanism under the Act, the casualties would certainly have been less, argued the petitioner’s lawyer Gaurav Bansal. Despite enacting the Disaster Management Act in 2005, he added, “It sounds pathetic that after eight years of passing of the Act, the Centre and various State Governments have failed to implement its provisions in true letter and spirit.” The petition even raised the issue of granting ex-gratia compensation to victims of disaster which was not uniform in the country.
The same bench also issued notice on the second PIl filed by one Swami Achyutanand Tirth who cited the recent Uttarakhand tragedy to underline the need of having in place a mechanism to prevent outbreak of epidemics during such calamities. “Hundreds of bodies allegedly buried under debris or lying in the open could lead to outbreak of epidemics if effective steps are not taken by the authorities to prevent it,” it said. The bench even expressed concern that the possibility of disease spreading to neighbouring states through waterway or air also required to be considered.