The Meghalaya High Court has had to take up several issues of public importance ranging from supply of potable drinking water to road repairs, owing to the failure of the Government. The PHED had since last year been supplying water that has an oily film. This had created an alarm amongst the consumers. Media reports of this phenomenon only resulted in the PHED giving a wishy-washy answer. Some public spirited citizens pointed out that water generally develops an oily sheen when there is excess of hydrogen sulphide or there is presence of iron beyond permissible limits. And considering that in Meghalaya vehicle owners are not restrained from washing their vehicles even in flowing rivers it is possible that the mobil oil and grease from such vehicles make their way into rivers that supply drinking water to people living downstream.
A public interest litigation (PIL) on the water quality supplied by the PHED was disposed off on Tuesday last where the High Court has directed the court to ensure safe drinking water to the public. The Government has sought six months time to ensure that the suggestions given by the expert committee formed at the behest of the Court were implemented in letter and spirit. Earlier the Shillong –Guwahati road at Umsning which was in a deplorable condition, so much so that it took over one hour to traverse one kilometre, was repaired post haste after the High Court took up the matter. Increasingly therefore the failure of the executive to deliver and the general failure of governance has pushed citizens to take matters to court.
At the moment, Meghalaya is passing through a crucial phase as far as the supply of electricity is concerned. Apart from being erratic, there is power shutdown every night for three-four hours beginning at midnight. There is shut-down in the day time with different timings in different parts of the city. Citizens wonder why, when they are paying their dues on time, they should have to suffer power cuts. While this is a fit case for the Consumer Courts to take up suo-moto, that has not happened as yet. Meanwhile citizens suffer in disgust even while the Government owned Meghalaya Electricity Corporation struggles to maintain its bottom-lines and requires funds infusion regularly. Obviously there is a management problem that is not being addressed and Meghalaya is regularly buying power from the national grid during the lean season but is unable to pay its dues despite the fact that consumers regularly pay theirs. Is this not a fit case for a PIL?