The Bombay High Court Wednesday expressed concern over garbage dumped in the sea, causing “danger to marine life”, and cleaning of coastline in Maharashtra and indicated it would initiate a suo motu PIL to address the issues.
A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish S Kulkarni, which was hearing the matter pertaining to Covid-19 management in the state, referred to news reports and expressed concerns over the issue of sea waste to Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, representing the Centre, and Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, for the state.
The bench said over the last few days, especially after cyclone Tauktae, various newspaper reports have indicated that the Maharashtra coastline, including beaches in Mumbai and Marine Drive, was “full of filth of garbage left behind by the sea”, and that these reports painted “a very sorry picture with regard to the cleaning of the coast”.
CJ Datta said, “Over and above the problems that coastline faces, a greater problem is a danger to marine life due to dumping of filth. We were considering whether to initiate suo motu PIL on this. We have prepared a shortlist of all the reports which we will give to you (the government) counsel.”
AG Kumbhakoni sought time to defer the consideration of initiation of suo motu PIL to consult with the officials and go through news reports. “There cannot be any objection to treating the filth on the coast,” he said. Seeking responses from the Centre and the state lawyers, the HC said it will consider the initiation of suo motu PIL on Friday.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/bombay-hc-expresses-concern-over-waste-dumped-in-sea-hints-at-suo-motu-pil-7383642/
