In Dheeraj Kumar vs. The State of Bihar through the Principal Secretary Cum Commissioner & Ors. (2025), Acting Chief Justice led Division Bench consigned the petition after observing that "All the issues appear to have been addressed by the respondents. The Storm Water Drainage Scheme has been approved at the cost of Rs.245 crores, which is being implemented by BUIDCO. An agreement has already been executed on 28.12.2023, which indicates that the date of the completion of the project would be 27.12.2026. In the project, there shall be 08 outfall drains with a total length of 46854 meters....".
In its judgement dated June 20, 2025, the other respondents were Principal Secretary cum Commissioner, Department of Environment and Forest, Patna, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Darbhanga. Central Railways through Divisional Manager, Samastipur and Bihar State Pollution Control Board, Bihar through its member secretary.
The Court recorded that it was informed that the construction of 650 meters of drain from the Post Mortem Road situated in DMCH premises to Karpuri Chowk has been completed. Work schedule has been planned in advance, the details of which also have been provided in the affidavit.
With regard to bio-medical waste disposal, the judgement noted that Municipal Corporation of Darbhanga has notified the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, which are being implemented properly. The segregation of bio-medical waste is being done and the agency to collect the biomedical waste from DMCH and other private nursing homes, is operating on daily basis. An agency has been entrusted with the work, which has pitched in 04 vehicles and 10 personnel for collection and segregation of the biomedical waste."
It also reads: With respect to air pollution, a serious drive has been undertaken in the town of Darbhanga. Very meticulously, the persons spreading pollution have been identified and have been fined. A total amount of Rs.78,000/- by way of penalty has been recovered from them. The Municipal Corporation of Darbhanga has also conceived of a provision for penalty of environmental compensation against throwing of waste in open spaces/water bodies. Justice Kumar observed:"Considering the efforts taken by the respondents/State, we are satisfied that the directions passed by this Court have, to a large extent, been followed."
The petitioner was the son of President, Swatch Darbhanga Swasth Darbhanga Welfare Association. The petitioner had filed the public interest petition to draw attention towards the inaction of the respondents with respect to water logging in the town of Darbhanga; non-initiation of any steps for storm-drainage construction; for effective bio-waste disposal and for checking air pollution.
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