New Delhi:
The Supreme Court has ordered all state governments to immediately locate all abandoned bore wells and ensure they are filled up.
The court's direction comes after a series of children died in different parts of the country after falling into bore wells that were no longer in use.
After hearing about these cases, the Supreme Court got involved on its own, or took up the case suo moto, and asked the union government for a plan of action. In response, the government has set up a committee.
The court has asked all District Collectors to survey their regions for abandoned bore wells. Once these are identified, in villages, local bodies will be in charge of ensuring these are filled up. In towns and cities, Municipal Bodies will be accountable.
In three months, Chief Secretaries of all states will have to report on the action taken to follow the court's orders