'Even After 75 Years Of Independence, People Must Approach Courts For Drinking Water': Bombay HC Slams State, Seeks Water Supply Plan

Mumbai, June 22: Expressing concern over water scarcity in the state, the Bombay High Court remarked that even after 75 years of independence, people have to approach the courts for drinking water.

The court emphasised that access to clean and potable water is a fundamental right and asked the state government to provide, by Tuesday, a scheme that can be implemented immediately to ensure the supply of clean water to citizens.

The observations were made by a bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and Kamal Khata while hearing a batch of public interest litigations filed by activists Dr Rajendra Burma and Bandu Sampatrao Sane.

The petitions highlighted chronic malnutrition, inadequate staffing, poor infrastructure and rising child mortality in the tribal Melghat area of Amravati district in the Vidarbha region.

Court Reviews Water Scarcity In Melghat

The court was informed that the area is severely affected by the lack of clean and potable water during the high temperatures of summer.

During the hearing on April 22, the court was informed that 13 people had died and 86 had been hospitalised due to water contamination.

The High Court had then directed the state to provide potable water regularly through water tankers. The government pleader had informed the court that water tankers were being supplied to the region.

However, on Monday, the petitioners’ advocate, Jugalkishor Gilda, told the bench that water was being supplied through tankers in a highly irregular manner.

Government Asked To Submit Immediate Plan

Irked, the bench said that the government was not doing any “favours” by providing water through tankers. “Access to clean and potable water is a fundamental right and the government has a duty to provide the same to all its citizens. Not just the Melghat region, but the entire state is facing the issue of water scarcity,” the bench said.

The judges lamented that people had to knock on the doors of the court for drinking water even after 75 years of independence. The bench asked the government to place before it, by Tuesday, a scheme to ensure regular water supply not just to the Melghat region but to citizens across the state.

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Gilda highlighted that the petitions have been pending since 1992 and that, although courts have passed several orders over the years, there has been very little change on the ground.

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