The Rajasthan High Court on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of deaths that occurred due to scorching heat and prevailing heatwave in the state and said there was a need to declare heatwaves and cold waves “national calamities.”
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According to the Rajasthan government data, so far five people have died in the state due to the ongoing heatwave conditions, the court said and added that the media reports on the rise in deaths due to heatstroke are “beyond facts”.
The single-judge bench of Justice Anoop Kumar Dhand has said that the time has come for heat and cold waves to be declared a national disaster. He ordered the state government to provide compensation to the dependents of people who died due to heatwave, and also directed the state chief secretary to constitute committees of various departments to take immediate and appropriate steps for effective implementation of the ‘Heat Action Plan’ prepared under the Rajasthan Climate Change Project.
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“Looking at large number of deaths due to extreme heat and cold waves across the country, the National Disaster Management Authority (for short “the NDMA”) started working on it. There is need to declare heatwave and coldwave as National Calamity,” the courts said.
Referring to the authorities’ steps and action plans regarding climate change, the court observed that in spite of making drafts of such action plans, the welfare state does not effectively take steps to save the public at large from such extreme heatwave conditions.
The court has also issued several guidelines for the government, which are crucial for public safety. These range from sprinkling water on the roads with high public movement to reduce the heat, providing cooling spaces and shades at the traffic signals where required, ensuring all possible facilities at the health centres for treatment of heatwave patients, and issuing advisory for all workers who work in open including porters, cart-and-rickshaw pullers, to allow them to rest between 12 noon and 3 pm during extreme heatwave conditions. These measures are designed to prevent further deaths and health issues due to heatwaves.
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In the order titled ‘Save The Planet Earth And The Future Generation Of This Universe,’ the court highlighted the importance of saving the planet and protecting the environment.
(With inputs from PTI)
