New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Monday expressed concern over the unhygienic conditions outside the newly-commissioned Mandoli Jail here, which houses 3,500 prisoners and staff.
A bench of acting chief justice Gita Mittal and justice C. Hari Shankar warned the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) of initiating contempt action for not complying with its earlier orders and directed it to take steps to clean up the area in one week.
The prison comes under EDMC area. The bench’s direction came after it was informed by advocate Sumer Kumar Sethi, who was appointed as amicus curiae by the court to assist it, that prisoners and officials were disturbed because of pollution and smoke emanating from waste burning by factories and scrap dealers outside the prison’s jail Nos. 13 and 14.
He also informed the court that senior jail officers had told him that at times, they had noticed a black layer of ashes on windows, plants and other parts of the jail, and there used to be a “cloud of smoke that covers the jail once the burning of waste etc begins”.
The court also perused a status report and some photographs filed by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), which had conducted an inspection of the area, and noted that the civic body had not complied with its several orders on solid waste management rules bye-laws.
“EDMC, which took part in the proceedings of solid waste management rules bye-laws has not implemented the bye-laws effectively. This non-action will invite contempt against the authorities. We are not doing it at this stage.”
“More than 3,500 prisoners and jail staff are lodged in the jail with such unhygienic conditions. The EDMC commissioner to ensure that steps are taken to clean the area in one week. The DPCC is directed to conduct fresh inspection of the area around the jail 10 days thereafter,” the bench said.
The bench was hearing a PIL initiated by it last year after several prisoners moved the high court complaining about the inhuman conditions and lack of medical and employment facilities at Mandoli Jail here.
