The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition claiming that 75 per cent of India’s population lives in a high seismic zone and seeking directions to authorities to minimise earthquake-related damage.
Hearing the matter, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta questioned the basis of the plea after the petitioner, appearing in person, asserted that earlier only Delhi was considered to be in a high seismic zone but recent assessments indicated that three-fourths of the population now falls within such areas.
Responding to the submission, the bench remarked, "So we should relocate everyone to the moon or where?"
The petitioner then attempted to highlight global seismic activity, stating that there had recently been a major earthquake in Japan.
The court countered, saying, "First we have to bring volcanoes into this country then we can compare it with Japan."
Urging the court to direct authorities to put preventive measures in place in the event of a future earthquake, the petitioner argued that such arrangements were essential.
The bench, however, clarified that such issues fall within the executive’s domain, stating, "That is for the government to take care (of); this court cannot do it. Dismissed."
At the beginning of the hearing, the petitioner submitted that there was new information relevant to his plea, but the court reiterated that these concerns pertain to government policy. When he referred to various media reports to support his claims, the bench responded, "These are newspaper reports. We are not bothered about them."