MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently directed the state government to consider and decide on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition seeking to fulfil the drinking water needs of the residents of Punnaikayal village of Thoothukudi district.
The petitioner Kulanthai Machado filed the plea seeking a direction to the government to provide drinking water to all households in the aforesaid village. Besides this, he also wanted the authorities to complete the projects that were accorded administrative approval by the district collector under the Self-sufficiency Scheme and Jal Jeevan Mission for the village. Though he had given a representation to the authorities on August 19, the same was not considered, he alleged.
A bench of Justices MS Ramesh and AD Maria Clete observed that it is the statutory duty of the authorities to consider and respond to the representation without keeping it pending indefinitely. They disposed of the PIL by directing the authorities to consider and take a decision on the representation within three months.