The Supreme Court on Thursday slammed the Gujarat and Haryana governments for “hazy” presentation of facts and outdated charts on rainfall data in a hearing on the delay in declaration of drought and provision of urgent relief to thousands of lives in parched areas across the country as mercury levels continue to soar.
At one point during the hearing on a PIL petition filed by NGO Swaraj Abhiyan, exasperated by lack of updated data on rainfall and water scarcity from the Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana government, a Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and N.V. Ramana asked whether the State was even remotely serious about the sufferings of its people.
“Is this the kind of seriousness you show as your people are dying of drought? This hearing is not about some picnic you are having in Haryana,” Justice Lokur lashed out at State counsel.
When counsel apologised, Justice Lokur hardened his stand, saying: “You are sorry? You should be sorry for your people. They will die.”
Justice Ramana questioned why Haryana had passed on to the Supreme Court figures about canal construction which took place in 2013-14 and agricultural yield from 2014-15 when the court wanted the latest rainfall data in the State.
Holding up the papers in his hand, Justice Ramana asked counsel: “What are we supposed to do with all this? Where are the rainfall figures? Are these papers something you randomly found in your office and filed here?”
“In all districts, rainfall is in the minus… that means there was no rainfall in Haryana,” Justice Lokur said. The Bench asked why the State was in no hurry to declare drought.
When counsel said canals had been constructed, Justice Lokur interrupted, “Haryana cannot say canals have been constructed and so there is no need to declare drought.”