New Delhi: Observing that right to life includes the right to dignity, the Gauhati high court on Wednesday (February 18) directed the Assam government to provide basic facilities, including medical care and education, to the people who are living in makeshift camps for eight months after being impacted by the eviction drive in the Hashila Beel area of Lower Assam’s Goalpara district in June last year, reported The Telegraph.While passing the order on Wednesday, a bench of Justice Devashis Baruah asked the government respondents to file affidavits on their stand on or before March 9. The next hearing is on March 11.The court observed that the “right to life includes the right to live with dignity, right to potable water, right to sanitation, as well as right to basic medical facilities”.Earlier, Z. Khalid, who was the counsel for the 60 petitioners told the court about the inhuman condition in which the petitioners were residing and said that urgent intervention is needed.Khalid said that adding that the state, being a welfare state, was constitutionally bound to ensure that basic amenities such as sanitation, potable water, medical care and food are provided, reported The Telegraph.The petitioners claimed that the evictions, which were carried out on the ground that the land in question formed part of a wetland, were “contrary to the law laid down by the Supreme Court”.They added that 566 Bengali-speaking families, including children have been impacted as a result of the eviction drive.The high court directed the state government to ensure potable water facilities, adequate rations from fair price shops and access to primary healthcare centres and also asked the state to find avenues for temporary sanitation mechanisms for displaced families.