Senior administrative officials will have to explain to the high court on Thursday why despite a previous order to the contrary, the civic body continues to cart garbage during the day.

On June 21, while hearing a PIL filed by one Sunil Kumar seeking directions to the authorities to take action to prevent waterlogging in the Bahadurpur and Hanuman Nagar areas, the high court asked the urban development department principal secretary, Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner, district magistrate and traffic superintendent of police to remain present before the bench on Thursday (June 27) to explain why its April 4 orders were not complied with.

The court had, on April 4, directed the PMC to cart garbage from 9pm to 8am, failing which the government would take action against the civic body officials. The bench had also warned them to get the cleanliness and sanitation work done on a routine basis. Otherwise, it would constitute a team of lawyers to make sudden spot inspection.

But despite the order, PMC employees continued carting garbage on Wednesday. They were spotted removing waste from two places — near AN College and Kidwaipuri Colony between 12noon and 1pm.

The civic body officials claimed it was essential to cart garbage from some places in the city twice a day.

PMC commissioner Kuldip Narayan said: “The court ordered us to remove garbage without causing problems for the traffic. We are following the order.”

The court had also asked the officials, on June 21, to explain why contempt proceedings should be not initiated against them for non-compliance of its plethora of judgments delivered during the hearing of PILs since 1991.

Counsel for petitioner Sunil Kumar, S.N. Pathak, told The Telegraph: “The court has been hearing PILs since 1991 and has passed a plethora of judgments and directions to clean up the city and take measures to prevent water-logging in Patna. But it is very unfortunate that nothing concrete has been done so far to implement the court’s orders.”

Pathak said rain on Wednesday for an hour exposed the lack of PMC’s preparedness to deal with the problem of waterlogging. “PMC is doing nothing except window washing,” he said.

Residents agreed with this accusation. “It has actually become a hell for the residents, as all the city roads are under water during monsoon. It not only leads to the spread of water-borne diseases but causes frequent accidents,” said Sanjiv Kumar, a resident of Kankerbagh.