Supreme Court's warning to Delhi government over water scarcity plea
The Supreme Court has issued a stern warning to the Delhi government for not rectifying defects in a plea seeking Haryana's assistance to alleviate Delhi's water scarcity. The plea had requested the Haryana government to release the surplus water provided by Himachal Pradesh. Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Prasanna B Varale expressed dissatisfaction with errors in the petition that prevented affidavits from being accepted. The court warned against taking legal proceedings lightly and adjourned the matter to June 12.
Court highlights importance of thorough file review
The bench stressed the necessity of reviewing files before hearings and voiced concern over reliance on newspaper reports, which could potentially be misleading. "If we don't read the files at our residential office we will be impressed by whatever the newspapers are reporting. That is not good for any of the parties," they stated. The court also questioned the timing of Haryana's reply to Delhi's plea, submitted by senior advocate Shyam Divan at the beginning of the hearing.
Delhi's Water Minister seeks immediate water release
The plea was filed by Delhi's Water Minister, Atishi, who requested an immediate and continuous release of water at Wazirabad barrage, including surplus provided by Himachal Pradesh. The Centre, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh governments were named in the petition. An urgent meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) was convened on June 3 to address the water scarcity issue, with representatives from the three parties in attendance.
Supreme Court directs Himachal Pradesh to release surplus water
On June 6, the Supreme Court ordered the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of water to the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana. It also requested the Haryana government to enable the flow of surplus water received from Himachal to Delhi via the Wazirabad barrage without politicizing the issue. It further directed the UYRB to provide a status report on the measures taken for the onward supply of water released from Himachal Pradesh to Delhi.
