'False statements, tanker mafia...': Supreme Court slams Delhi government over water crisis

Advocate Shadan Farasat, appearing for the Delhi government, said they had taken action to stop wastage of water.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed the AAP government for not being able to stem the operation of tanker mafia amid the water crisis in the national capital. Observing that false statements had been made before it, the apex court asked the Delhi government to file an affidavit listing measures they took to prevent wastage of water.

A vacation bench, comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Prasanna B Varale, told the Delhi government that if it can't deal with the tanker mafia, it will ask the Delhi Police to take action.

"Why were false statements made before this court? Water is coming from Himachal Pradesh then where is the water going in Delhi? There is so much spillage, tanker mafias etc.. What measures have you taken in this regard?

The court said the people of Delhi were suffering due to the crisis.

“People are suffering, we are seeing visuals on every news channel. What measures have you taken to control water wastage if water scarcity is a recurring problem in summers,” the bench said.

Advocate Shadan Farasat, appearing for the Delhi government, said they had taken action, including massive disconnection of water supplies

Delhi water minister Atishi on Tuesday claimed the BJP-led Haryana government had been deliberately and illegally halting the national capital's water supply.

Citing an affidavit submitted by the Haryana government in the Supreme Court, the minister said, “The Haryana government has been lying that they have released adequate supply water to Delhi. Their affidavit filed in the Supreme Court presents the data on actual discharge of water which has exposed their lie.”

She claimed the Haryana government had reduced the water supply to Delhi from May 23.

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“The figures of the affidavit given by the Haryana government in the Supreme Court show that from May 1 to 22, Haryana is releasing 719 cusecs of water in CLC and 330 cusecs of water in DSB through Munak canal. That means 1049 cusecs of water was released daily. But after this, it started decreasing from May 23. That means that when there were elections in Delhi, Haryana reduced the sending of water,” claimed Atishi.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena said on Tuesday that Haryana chief minister Nayab SIngh Saini had told him the state was releasing water per allocated share.

Last week, the court asked the Himachal Pradesh government to release surplus water to help Delhi tide over the water crisis.