NHRC takes suo motu cognizance of deaths of three children due to drowning in NTPC ash dyke lagoon in Bihar
NHRC has taken suo motu cognizance of three child deaths by drowning in an NTPC ash dyke lagoon in Muzaffarpur district, Bihar, and has sought a report from NTPC and the local police.
- The National Human Rights Commission can take suo motu cognizance of alleged human rights violations and seek reports from public authorities.
- A media report alleged that three children drowned in an NTPC ash dyke lagoon in Muzaffarpur district, Bihar.
- The media report alleged that no warning boards were installed and no security personnel were deployed at the pond site.
What happened
The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that three children died by drowning in an ash dyke lagoon constructed by the National Thermal Power Corporation in the Kanti area of Muzaffarpur district, Bihar. The Commission has treated the incident as a possible violation of human rights and has sought a detailed report from NTPC and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Muzaffarpur, within two weeks.
Why the matter matters
UPSC may use this incident to test the powers and role of the National Human Rights Commission, the duty of industrial establishments to secure hazardous sites, and the governance gap between pollution control, local policing, and public safety around coal-ash ponds.
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