Delhi water crisis: The Supreme Court heard a petition filed by the Delhi government on the serious water problem in Delhi. In the petition, a demand was made to direct the state of Haryana to release the remaining water. The bench of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and PB Varale, who heard the case, asked several questions to the Delhi government.
The court asked these questions to the Delhi government
During the hearing, the court asked the Delhi government that tanker mafia is operating in Delhi and you are not taking any action. If the Delhi government is not able to take action, then we can ask the Delhi Police to take action in this matter. It is worth noting that the tanker mafia in Delhi can be seen openly robbing the people of Delhi who are facing water shortage. According to reports, the price of each water tanker in the national capital is Rs 20. 3000 has crossed.
The court asked a flurry of questions
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the Delhi government, said that we have come here to find a solution. Please see the affidavit of Himachal Pradesh and the status report filed by the Delhi government. On this, the division bench said, 'Why is the secretary not filing an affidavit, why is the minister filing an affidavit? Himachal says that they have already released excess water. Now Himachal says that they do not have excess water. Why did they not tell the board?
Mentioned tanker mafia
The bench asked why wrong answers are being given in the court? If water is coming from Himachal, then where is the water going in Delhi? The court said that it is said that tanker mafia is active in Delhi. If you do not take action on this, then we will hand over the matter to Delhi Police. The court said that we are seeing their picture through the media. The court said, TV channels are showing that tanker mafia is increasing in Delhi. What steps do you take to stop the wastage of water every summer? What steps have been taken to stop the wastage of water in 2023? Have you taken any action against any tanker mafia? Have you also lodged an FIR?
There will be another hearing on Thursday
Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said that many tankers belong to DJB whose pictures have appeared in the media. We have taken action. The Supreme Court said that no, you should file an affidavit, not a verbal statement. DJB said okay. We will file an affidavit. The court has asked the Delhi government to file an affidavit about the loss caused by water and the steps taken to prevent it. The Supreme Court said that we will hear the matter in detail on Thursday. Lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that till then listen to us also. The court said, okay but be brief. After hearing Singhvi's argument, the court asked the Delhi government that you have said in the affidavit that you are getting water. Singhvi said that no, we are not getting additional water. The Haryana government said that the Delhi government is giving wrong answers.