Delhi HC asks AAP government, civic bodies for action plan to deal with earthquakes
The High Court asked the authorities to explain the steps needed or give suggestions to keep people safe.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Aam Aadmi Party-led government and civic authorities how well-prepared they were if a major earthquake hits the national Capital, citing several low-intensity earthquakes that have occurred since April, PTI reported.
The High Court’s order came after a low-intensity earthquake measuring 2.1 on the Richter scale hit the national Capital on Monday. The National Capital Region and Delhi have experienced several earthquakes since April. On May 29, a quake, epicentred in Haryana, measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale hit parts of northern India. On May 28, a 2.5-magnitude earthquake hit Faridabad, adjacent to the Delhi border. Its epicentre was eight km east of Faridabad.
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar asked the Delhi government, the three municipal corporations – Cantonment Board, Delhi Development Authority and the New Delhi Municipal Council – to file affidavits and explain the steps needed or give suggestions to keep people safe.
The bench provided one week to file the submissions and listed the case for further hearing on June 15. The court directed the authorities to make the public aware about an action plan, if there is any, for their safety in view of a major earthquake in the Capital.
The court was hearing a plea from advocates Arpit Bhargava and DK Sharma that claimed the Delhi government and the civic authorities had not done anything, despite several directions to develop an action plan. The petition was filed on the basis of a pending 2015 public interest litigation, claiming that the seismic stability of buildings in Delhi was poor and in case there was a major earthquake, there could be many casualties.
Bhargava noted that since April 12 over 11 earthquakes have hit in and around Delhi and experts suspect that a big quake was imminent, which was the reason he moved the court now for urgent directions. He added that the coronavirus pandemic may not affect human lives, as much as the impending danger of a major earthquake, ANI reported.
“The destruction of millions of human lives in Delhi due to a major earthquake cannot be undermined since there are about 1,700 unauthorised colonies in Delhi, wherein more than 50 lakh people reside,” the petitioner said. “Even as per an order dated August 26, 2015, passed by this court, only about 10 to 15 per cent of Delhi buildings comply with the building code and regulations, which are specific for the seismic zone.”
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