Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Oct 15: The state high court (HC) has directed the state government to permit Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) to pledge its fixed assets and raise loan from the bank to pay compensation to families affected by the landslide at the Pachanady dumping yard last year. The corporation has failed to spell out any concrete plan to compensate the affected families in spite of repeated adjournments of the case.
Karnataka Legal Services Authority had filed a public interest litigation in the high court which came up for hearing before a division bench of the high court on Wednesday October 14.
Pachanady garbage landslide in 2019
Advocate for the corporation explained before the bench that the corporation is facing a fund crunch to disburse the compensation to the families and that Rs 14 crore needed towards compensation has not been released by the government so far. The bench initially orally asked the corporation to sell corporation building or fixed assets and pay compensation.
The high court noted that only crop loss compensation has been disbursed to 35 affected people so far and no compensation for house destruction has been paid. It said that the corporation has neglected implementation of the solid waste management rules - 2016 and asked the city corporation commissioner to file affidavit for the same. The high court also directed Karnataka State Pollution Control Board secretary to file affidavit within a week giving reasons for not taking action against the guilty. It directed the commissioner of the city corporation to be present during the next hearing through video conference.
The high court noted that the corporation claims it does not have funds, while the government has not released Rs 14 crore as it does not seem to be having the will to do so. As compensation has to be disbursed to the distressed families, it asked the government to permit the corporation within a week to raise loan against the security of the fixed assets of the corporation. It also asked the government to clarify why only Rs eight crore out of Rs 22 crore due was released by it so far.