New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Monday issued notice to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, the Delhi Jal Board chief executive officer and two members for their alleged failure to frame rules on installation fee and maintenance charges for water meters, to be paid by consumers.
Seeking response from Dikshit, who is the chairperson of the DJB, and board`s CEO Debashree Mukherjee, Justice Vipin Sanghi also issued notices to board member (finance) Prashant Goel and member (water) Brij Mohan Dhol and asked them to file their responses by Nov 9 on the plea of the Indian Water Meter Manufacturers against the board for contempt of court.
Filing the contempt petition, the association said that the single bench on Jan 25 had directed the DJB to frame rules relating to installation fee and rent to be paid for use, maintenance and testing of water meters but no rules have been framed so far.
The petition said: "Initiate contempt proceedings against contemnors for deliberate and intentional breach of the judgment dated January 25 and punish them in accordance with the provisions of the Contempt of Courts Act."
Earlier, the single bench court had asked the DJB to place before it the rules and regulations and in case the DJB has not made the rules, to frame these in eight weeks` time and inform the court.
The court was hearing the water meter manufacturers` plea that the court had earlier allowed consumers to purchase water meters from the open market but the DJB had no comprehensive guidelines relating to usage and installation of these.
Seeking that the DJB clarify the rules for installation, usage and maintenance charges to be levied by it on customers, the petition has said: "In a PIL filed by the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) of Rajinder Nagar, the division bench had allowed the consumers to purchase water meters for installation from the open market and asked the DJB to frame comprehensive guidelines relating to usage and installation fee..."
IANS
