CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Thursday disposed of a 25-year-old PIL on unauthorised constructions in the prohibited sweet water zone of Puri town for lack of details. Former Puri MLA and social worker Umaballav Rath had filed the petition in 1996, challenging inaction of the State government in preventing unauthorised transfer of government land by Puri Municipality which led to pollution of groundwater.
While the High Court had on November 7, 2007 directed for clearing all constructions in the sweet water zone spread over 448 acres, it recalled the order three years later on November 30, 2010 when persons occupying the plots (leased out to them by the municipality) requested the Court to hear their side of the story. The petition had been pending since then without any further adjudication.
The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice AK Mohapatra said that while the problem is an ongoing one and requires attention by the authorities concerned, the Court cannot pass effective orders unless it has full particulars before it.
“Instead of granting more time and keeping the present petition filed 25 years back pending, the Court directs that it will be open to any public-spirited person, preferably not aligned to any political entity, to come forward with the complete details of the plots in the sweet water zone which have been illegally leased out and plots having unauthorised constructions”, the bench observed while seeking a well-research petition on the matter.
It asked people to find out names of the persons who may be beneficiaries or occupants of such unauthorised plots/constructions. Such persons have to be made parties to the petition since orders cannot be issued without hearing them.