Delhi High Court slams PWD officials over unclean sewer lines at Tihar Jail, stating judges have been ‘reduced to municipal commissioners’ while inmates face unhygienic living conditions.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday took a view of the unclean sewer lines at Tihar Central Jail, highlighting the unhygienic living conditions faced by inmates. The bench, comprising Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, expressed frustration, saying judges had been “reduced to municipal commissioners” while dealing with civic issues.
The issue came to light after lifer Sonu Dahiya filed a petition, claiming inmates were living under extremely unhygienic conditions due to persistent drainage problems. The court grilled a PWD official on why the sewer lines, laid in 2024, were still not connected to the main sewer line.
The bench pointed out that the prison authorities had repeatedly sent letters requesting both the connection of sewer lines and cleaning, asking,
“Can you understand the problem faced by the inmates due to sanitation problem of sewage lines?”
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The PWD official informed the court that a tender had been issued for cleaning the sewer lines. However, the court questioned the timing, asking why the tender was floated in the midst of the monsoon, and whether the responsible authorities should be summoned for approval delays.
The official assured the bench that temporary cleaning measures had begun and would be completed by August 25. Currently, only one supersucker machine has been deployed, but additional machines would be used to speed up the work.
The court was informed that the sewer lines laid in 2024 will be connected to the main sewage system, with work expected to be completed within four weeks, as the tender has now been finalized.
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