Decline in Delhi groundwater level can lead to water war: SC
New Delhi, May 8: Upset that authorities were not realising the seriousness of the situation, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said the critical decline in groundwater level in Delhi could lead to a "water war" for every drop.
A bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta was shocked that groundwater was "over exploited" and the level had declined to "very critical" stage.
After perusing a report filed by the Central Ground Water Board on depletion of groundwater in Delhi, the court said even the area around President's Estate has very low groundwater level.
"What are we doing? We are not in a position to give water to our President. We can't give water to Birla Madir. The situation (of groundwater level) is over exploited and very critical all over Delhi," the bench said.
Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, assisting the court as amicus curiae in the case, said due to excess extraction of groundwater, almost 90 per cent of Delhi is in a "critical" situation.
Except central Delhi and some parts of west Delhi -- which came under the safe category in the report -- the groundwater level in the rest of Delhi was over exploited, Kumar added.
The bench said: "We are in a deep rooted trouble. What to do, we are short of water. Can anybody live without water? I don't think anybody is realising the seriousness of the situation."
When Additional Solicitor General N.S. Nadkarni, appearing for the Central government, said the "next world war would be on water", the bench replied: "Forget about world war, Delhi war is going to start soon (on water issue)."
The top court also slammed the authorities concerned for not taking the issue seriously and said there are many problems in Delhi like solid waste management, water issue, unauthorised construction, encroachment, pollution and others.
It said the authorities can't say it will tackle only one issue. "Everybody has to work together, everybody has to sit together to solve the problems. Things are critical," it said, adding that situation will become "irreversible" and in some areas "it has become irreversible".
Mentioning that the report indicated "extremely sad affair" as almost whole of Delhi was in a "critical stage", the bench sought responses from the Ministry of Water Resources, the Delhi government and the Delhi Pollution Control Board on the report.
The court now posted the matter for hearing on May 15.
On the issue of unauthorised construction and encroachment in Delhi, the bench was informed by advocates Ranjit Kumar and A.D.N. Rao that Khan Market and Sanjay Market have been flouting its order.
In Khan Market, all shopkeepers have extended their shops by at least eight feet, and verandas, pavements have been encroached upon, they said, adding that in Sanjay Market, multi-storyed buildings have come up on properties sealed in 2007.
The amicus curiae said the Special Task Force (STF), formed by the Central government to monitor issues relating to unauthorised constructions in Delhi, has not taken any action with regard to these markets but jhuggis on pavements have been removed.
The bench asked the STF to take action on encroachment in Khan Market and Sanjay Market. It also directed that the STF should meet once in a week.
The court has been hearing pleas relating to the validity of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 and subsequent legislation protecting unauthorised construction from being sealed in Delhi.
Earlier, the court halted all construction, not in conformity with building bye laws, in 1,797 unauthorised colonies in Delhi.
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BJP writes to EC about 'non-deployment' of central forces to avert clash
Kolkata (PTI): The BJP on Sunday wrote to the Election Commission alleging that its workers were not given security and came under attack while travelling to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at Brigade Parade Ground on March 14 and sought action over the alleged non-deployment of central forces by police.
In a letter to the poll panel, BJP leader Shishir Bajoria claimed that buses carrying party workers to the rally were targeted with bricks in the Girish Park area of north Kolkata, leaving several activists injured, some of whom were hospitalised.
Trouble broke out in the area when BJP activists objected to the putting up of flexes which read 'Boycott BJP', before the house of state minister Shashi Panja and tore down the flexes. Heavy brick batting followed as both sides regrouped along Central Avenue, and the window panes on the ground-floor room of Panja's residence were damaged in stone pelting.
The minister claimed she and several of her party members were injured in the brickbatting by rally-bound BJP supporters.
In the letter, the BJP alleged that despite a substantial deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) ahead of the elections, the forces were not present at the site of the disturbance to ensure the safety of its workers and leaders.
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Putting the onus on TMC for the violence, the letter said, "A large number of buses bringing BJP 'karyakartas' to attend the rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Brigade Parade Ground were subjected to large-scale brick-batting and violence, resulting in several BJP leaders sustaining injuries, many of whom had to be hospitalised."
Attaching purported photos and videos of the clash to back up their claims of TMC instigation, the letter said: "What was particularly of grave concern was that despite a big deployment of CAPF well before the polls, their complete absence at the spot during the disturbance, or in any part of the city of Kolkata."
"We would like to put on record that the presence of Kolkata Police at the spot of disturbance establishes the fact that they had an advance intelligence report of possible violence and yet kept the CAPF out," the BJP leader said in the letter to the CEC Gyanesh Kumar, and Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal.
"Given the seriousness of the incident and the injuries sustained by several of our karyakarta, it raises concerns among citizens regarding the effective deployment of CAPF for preventing violence, and ensuring a free and fair electoral environment," the letter said.
"We request your good office to kindly take the strongest possible action against those who were responsible for this non-deployment of CAPF, resulting in this incident and ensure that in future deployment is carried out in a manner that truly serves its intended purpose of area domination, confidence building, and timely intervention wherever law and order situations arises from now till the elections are over," the letter said.
The BJP also reminded the commission that a party delegation had earlier met the full bench of the poll body on March 9 and raised concerns that CAPF personnel were being deployed for route marches in peaceful areas and highways instead of in locations requiring voter confidence-building measures.
At least eight persons, including a police officer, were injured in brickbatting, which broke out half an hour before the arrival of the Prime Minister at the Brigade Rally. The clash continued for about an hour as both sides fought a pitched battle on the road and nearby by-lanes before reinforcements brought the situation under control.
