CHENNAI: The First Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday rapped officials for the enormous delay in effecting an amendment to a rule on the TN Municipal Administration and Water Supply to enhance the fine amount for illegal sewer connections.
The Bench of Chief Justice S K Kaul and Justice M M Sundresh expressed its displeasure over the TN Municipal Administration and Water Supply department in bringing out the amendment, while passing further interim orders on a PIL from A Narayanan of CHANCEIndia of Valasarawakkam.
All that the department stated was that the amendment proposal was under active consideration of the government and it involved the legislative process/administrative procedures and thus, a considerable time was required for its implementation. “We really do not understand what is the great legislative change which is required in a simple exercise of increasing the fine amount,’’ the judges wondered. “We would have required this exercise to be completed at the earliest, but the ground reality in view of the pending elections does not permit this to be done and thus, we call for this exercise to be completed at least by the end of June 2016,” the Bench added.