Panaji: In the PIL pertaining to unauthorised and illegal digging and construction of borewells for commercial purposes leading to water scarcity, the Bombay high court directed that notice to be issued to the department of drinking water, returnable on Feb 17. The court sought a response from govt on the issues in the petition within two weeks.The HC, in Nov last year, had issued notice to govt in the PIL over illegal digging and usage of several borewells in Chimbel. When the petition came up before the division bench this week, the additional govt advocate stated that the department of drinking water was a necessary party in the proceedings and was not made a respondent. The court said that, considering the subject matter of the dispute in the proceedings, the department of drinking water, represented by its chief engineer, should be impleaded as a respondent.
Governor of the village development committee, Chimbel, Ana Gracias, submitted to the court that all borewells were patently illegal without permissions from any authorities. She sought directions to the panchayat, PWD, and the electricity department to immediately seal them, and to take strict action against their unauthorised digging and construction.
