Supreme Court slams Delhi government over ‘water crisis’
The Supreme Court slammed the Delhi administration on Wednesday for the presence of the ‘tanker mafia’ and water waste during the capital’s crisis, and questioned what measures it has taken to combat it.
The Supreme Court directed the Delhi administration to explain efforts taken to prevent water waste.
A vacation bench consisting of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Prasanna B Varale informed the Delhi government that if it is unable to deal with the tanker mafia, it will request that the Delhi Police investigate the situation.
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‘Why no action against tanker mafia?’, asks Supreme Court
“Delhi tanker mafia is working, and you are not taking action. If the Delhi government can’t take action, then we can ask Delhi police to take action,” the Supreme Court said.
“Why were false statements made to this court? The water is coming from Himachal Pradesh. So where is the water going in Delhi? There is a lot of leakage, tanker mafias. What steps have you done in this regard?”
Citing media accounts or coverage of the Delhi water crisis, the bench stated, “People are suffering, and we see graphics on every news channel. What steps have you made to reduce water waste if water scarcity is a frequent issue in the summer?
The Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed by the Delhi government asking Haryana to release surplus water given by Himachal Pradesh to the national capital in order to alleviate the city’s water problem.
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“We are here to find the solution. Please see Himachal Pradesh affidavit and status report filed by the Delhi government,” senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.
“Why aren’t secretaries filing the affidavits? Why do ministers file these affidavits? Himachal claims they had already released the excess water. Himachal now claims to have no extra water. Why wasn’t the board informed? Water is arriving from Himachal, but where is it getting to Delhi? There are so many travel-related losses.
“What have you done to prevent water wastage coming from all these sources? Have you taken any action or FIR against any tanker mafias? Tanker mafias get water and pipelines are running dry,” the bench added.
Advocate Shadan Farasat, representing the Delhi government, stated that action is being taken, including a huge cutoff of water supplies, to prevent unnecessary water wastage.
The top court ordered the Delhi government to file a report detailing the steps taken to address the water loss. The subject will be addressed on Thursday.
