By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the chairperson of the city water authority Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit and other executive officers to explain why a locality in east Delhi had not been getting water supply for the past 87 days.
The court was hearing a public interest petition filed by advocate Surendra Sharma, a resident of Mohalla Ganga Ram in Shahdara. He had pleaded before the court that there has been no water supply in his area for the past 87 days.
Seeking an explanation, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice Manmohan Wednesday issued notice to the chairperson, CEO, the executive engineer and the chairman of the Trans Yamuna Area Development Board and asked them to reply by Sep 7.
“We have written various letters to the DJB authorities for the restoration of water supply but they turned a blind eye and paid no heed to our problem,” Sharma contended before the bench adding that water bills are sent to them regularly despite the lack of supply.
Sharma added that it was the legal duty of the DJB to supply water to the residents, who are now suffering without water.
“Due to lack of water supply, residents have to rely on water from hand pumps, which cause several diseases,” he said.
The petitioner also demanded compensation of Rs.200,000 from the DJB for the inconvenience caused to the residents of the area and also sought directions from the court to quash the water bills that DJB had sent them.
The court will hear the matter Monday.