Jabalpur, Sep 10 (PTI): The Madhya Pradesh High Court has sought a response from the state government on a PIL claiming the deaths of more than 30 children due to infectious diseases in Balaghat district.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal issued notices to the state health department, women and child development department, Balaghat Collector and others while hearing the public interest litigation (PIL).

Narsinghpur district resident Anshul Tiwari filed the PIL based on newspaper reports about the deaths of more than 30 children in Balaghat due to infectious diseases.

The petition alleged that children were not receiving adequate medical care and that around 400 children were being treated at a hospital with a capacity of 50 beds.

During the preliminary hearing last week, the bench had observed that filing a PIL solely on the basis of newspaper reports was not appropriate. It had directed the petitioner to visit the affected areas in Balaghat, assess the situation firsthand, verify the facts and submit a report.

The petitioner's lawyers Abhishek Pandey and Atul Shukla told the bench on Wednesday that he had visited the affected areas following the court's direction.

The report prepared by the petitioner was also submitted before the bench along with an affidavit.

The petitioner claimed in the report that handpumps were spewing yellow-coloured water in the affected areas, while children and women had not received nutritious food on time for several months.

The report also alleged widespread filth in the area and claimed that these conditions were causing infections and that children continued to die from diseases.

It said the administration had woken up only after more than 30 deaths, following which the number of hospital beds was increased, and health services, sanitation and cleanliness arrangements were improved in the area.

After examining the report, the division bench issued notices seeking responses from the authorities.

The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for September 18.

Last week, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had raised the matter, saying the deaths showed a complete failure of the BJP government in the state and urged the chief minister to personally resolve the issue.

(PTI)

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.