Madhya Pradesh to Table Bill to Stop Borewell Deaths | 14 Jun 2024

Why in News?

The Madhya Pradesh government is in the process of drafting a law, which is believed to be the first of its kind in India, aimed at preventing fatalities resulting from open borewells. 

• In the last seven months, more than nine such incidents have been documented in MP.

Key Points

• The suggested legislation will contain specific instructions on preventing such disasters, how to respond if one occurs, and the process for assigning accountability.
• The bill calls for identification of open / dry borewells and heavy penalties on those responsible for not filling or plugging them and leaving them as an open hazard. 
• If the borewell is on private land, the land owner will be fined. If it's government land, the department and officer concerned will be penalised.
  • The second stage would be registration of a criminal case in case someone falls into an open borewell. As of now, the accused is booked for negligence. Under the new law, the accused will be booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections.
• Apart from the land owner or government official, responsibility would also be fixed on the agency that drills the borewell. 
• A system would be put in place for citizens to inform government about open borewells so that preventive action can be taken..