New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday
summoned the MCD Commissioner to appear before it after the
civic agency officials failed to participate in a meeting
convened by the Chief Secretary, NCT government, to solve
water woes of citizens.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice
Manmohan directed the MCD Commissioner to appear in person
before it on December 12 and explain the reasons for non-
participation of his subordinates in the meeting last month.
The Bench also directed the Chief Secretary to hold
another meeting with other public authorities, including DDA
and MCD, on November 7 to discuss and sort out the water
crisis in the city.
The court told DJB "you have no co-ordination with other
authorities. Your officials act only on paper, sitting in AC
chambers. You don`t see the ground reality. Go around the city
and see the water woes of the public in different areas
including south Delhi," the Bench told the DJB counsel.
Earlier, the court had directed the Chief Secretary of
Delhi to convene the meeting with Delhi Jal Board, NDMC, MCD,
DDA and Delhi Cantonment to make a complete plan to ensure
adequate supply of water in all areas in the city.
The Court was hearing a PIL filed by a lawyer Surender
Sharma alleging that people staying in Shahadra have been
facing water crisis for months and DJB has failed to take any
step despite repeated representations.
Meanwhile, the Bench directed DJB and MCD officials to
visit the Mahalla Ganga Ram area of Shahadara in East Delhi
to explore the possibility of an underground reservoir there
for sufficient supply of water to the people.
PTI
