Lucknow, Sep 24 The Allahabad High Court on Thursday sought details of the existing drainage system in Lucknow and asked authorities in Uttar Pradesh to prepare a comprehensive plan, with the help of a specialised agency if necessary, if no such plan exists.
The Lucknow bench of the court passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) matter filed by Suraj Singh Visen concerning traffic management in Lucknow.
A bench of Justices Alok Mathur and Amitabh Kumar Rai observed that during rains, traffic across the city comes to a standstill because of waterlogging and the slow discharge of accumulated water through the existing drainage system.
The court asked the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) to inform it at the next hearing whether a drainage plan exists on the basis of which future projects can be undertaken to reduce the time taken for water to drain from roads.
If there is no such plan, efforts should immediately be made to prepare one in consultation with a specialised organisation, the bench said.
It also reviewed the steps being taken to regulate e-rickshaws.
The state government informed the court that it is awaiting the Centre’s response on the issue. It said measures are also being considered to restrict the operation of e-rickshaws on particular routes and regulate the issuance of permits.
The counsel for the Centre, Varun Pandey, said he would inform the court at the next hearing whether the Union government has responded to the state’s request for authorisation regarding restrictions on the issuance of e-rickshaw permits.
The court was also informed that several encroachments obstructing traffic were removed, but they are recurring. It was submitted that under the state’s 2012 policy, once an encroachment is removed, any subsequent re-encroachment is reported to the local police for effective action, including criminal proceedings.
The bench also raised the issue of commercial buildings not using their basement-parking facilities.
It was informed that maps of commercial buildings have been sanctioned after making provisions for basement parking, but vehicles of visitors are nevertheless being parked on main roads, causing congestion and obstructing the free flow of traffic.
The Lucknow Development Authority and other agencies have been asked to inform the court as to how the use of basement parking in commercial buildings can be effectively enforced.
Representatives of the traffic police, the LMC and the Public Works Department have been directed to remain present at the next hearing. The matter will next be taken up on October 5.
(PTI News)
