The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the States of Punjab and Haryana for not taking any step to prevent flooding of 25 villages near the Ghaggar river basin, stating that the common man wanted a solution to his problem and was least bothered about the meetings being undertaken by them.
The Bench headed by Justice M.R. Shah directed the two governments to take immediate steps to tackle the problem and submit a project report within four weeks before the Apex Court.
The top court of the country observed that while the state governments continued to engage in meetings, people of 25 villages remained in danger of flood, with their problems remaining unresolved till today.
The Apex Court directed the two States to focus on solving the problems of common people, instead of indulging in petty politics.
The Bench further reprimanded the Punjab government for not initiating a single serious step on the issue.
It further rebuked the Punjab government for not following the instructions and told the Counsel to strictly implement the suggestions given by the CWC and this court.
The Court then directed the two governments to implement the suggestions given by the committee, adding that the governments will not be told by the Bench on how to implement the same.
The Court observed that the maximum land for the project fell under Punjab and directed the state government not to depend on Haryana for the project.
The Counsel representing the Punjab government said that it will submit a status report every month.
The Apex Court then fixed January 3 as the next date of hearing in the case.