Right to have well maintained roads is a fundamental right of the citizens: Bombay High Court

By NewsGram Staff Writer

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said that the right to have good roads is a fundamental right of citizens. It added that it's the responsibility of the state government to provide the same.

The court also directed the state authorities like, the Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMDRA), Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and Mumbai Port Trust to provide a mechanism to enable citizens to file complaints about poor condition of road.

"The facility of receiving complaints shall be made throughout the year. Websites shall be designed in such a way that citizens can upload photos of the roads and also track their complaints," the court said.

"Unless there is an effective mechanism provided to the citizens to file complaints they will not be in a position to enforce their constitutional as well as legal right to have well maintained streets."

The order was passed by a panel of justices A S Oka and C V Bhadang who were hearing a PIL foregrounding the bad condition of roads in the state and several instances of motorists losing their lives due to potholes-filled roads.

PTI reported the court as stating, "It is high time that all concerned clearly understand that the right to have properly maintained roads is a part of fundamental rights guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution of India and in the event any loss is caused due to its violation, the citizens have a right to seek compensation".

"All municipal corporations shall maintain all roads within its jurisdiction in good and proper condition. It shall be their responsibility to ensure that potholes and ditches are properly filled, and at the time of any repair work a board shall be displayed giving details of the name of agency doing the digging work and the time period within which the work shall be completed".

The court will further hear on the matter on July 10.