Patna: Patna High Court on Wednesday directed the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) to reply why the court's earlier order on disposal of animal carcasses has not been complied with.

A division bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Anil Kumar Upadhyay passed the order on a contempt petition filed by social activist Vikash Chandra a.k.a Guddu Baba.

In April 2010, the court had said animal carcasses should not be thrown on the roadside or in the Ganga, but the practice continued. In November 2010, Guddu Baba had furnished information obtained under the Right to Information Act and alleged that not only has the PMC shown scant regard to the order/directions of the court but it was also totally unconcerned with regard to discharge of its statutory duties. The Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) also filed an affidavit in November 2011 to the court saying the BSPCB was not receiving any response from the civic body.

Guddu Baba filed a contempt petition against the PMC in December 2012. He told the court that animal carcasses are left strewn and are being disposed in the Ganga and other rivers and the PMC has taken no steps to identify any land, method or manner for disposal of these animal carcasses.

The court had then remarked: "The corporation is not able to show even prima facie that it is considering matters seriously. We are satisfied that it is not the corporation alone but the state government also... must take adequate measures."

A committee was formed to select the site for disposing carcasses. The PMC's counsel Prasoon Sinha assured the court that the civic body has made all efforts to install machinery for disposal of animal carcasses and that the PMC would install an incinerator.

An incinerator was installed at Ramchak Baraiya in rural Patna, but Guddu Baba told the court: "Although the incinerator has been set up at the cost of approximately Rs 4 crore, it is not used for disposal of animals which are being thrown here and there including on the banks of the Ganga."

In the last hearing on January 24 this year, Guddu Baba said he wants to bring on record additional facts to show that even now the illegality is continuing. The court gave him a week's time.

On Wednesday, Guddu Baba furnished photographs showing animal carcasses being thrown into the Ganga and on roads. On this, the bench directed the PMC to reply within three weeks why the earlier order was not complied with.