Above: Allahabad HC  

The Allahabad High Court on Monday (June 25) sought replies from District Magistrate, Bareilly, Chief Medical Officer, Bareilly and Pollution Control Board within four weeks on the PIL raising concerns on the five cancer deaths due to alleged disposal of chemical waste and poisonous chemicals by industries in the Ramganga river in Bareilly.

The bench of Justices Abhinav Upadhyay and Saral Srivastava fixed the matter for next hearing to July 25.

The PIL has been filed by the law students who have stated in the PIL that in Bhuripur village over five people have died due to cancer and another dozen of people have caught cancer due to disposal of arsenic and toxic chemicals.

During the course of proceedings, the bench was informed by the UP government’s counsel BP Singh Kushwaha and Pollution Control Board’s counsel J N Maurya that two handpumps has been put up. And the samples of water for testing have been sent for investigation. After the report comes up, the action will be taken.

Under the direction of CMO, Bareilly a team has been sent to the Bhuripur village to do the medical examination of the villagers. The team has not found any deadly substances in the ground water, the counsels said.

—India Legal Bureau