Will not disrupt Yamuna water supply to Delhi, Haryana tells SC
New Delhi, May 11: The Haryana government on Friday assured the Supreme Court that it will not disrupt the supply of Yamuna river water to Delhi till the court decides on water-sharing dispute between the two.
A bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta asked the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) to apprise it of a decision/suggestion on Delhi's water requirement and file a report by Monday.
The court also slammed the board, saying the problems regarding sharing of water between states must be first taken care of by bodies like the UYRB and not the Supreme Court.
"Is not there one Upper Yamuna River Board or something? What are they doing? Why don't they want to do their job. If they do not want to do their job, why should we do their job?" Justice Lokur asked.
The Centre set up the the board primarily to regulate allocation of available water among five beneficiary basin states and also for monitoring the return flow.
The apex corut posted the matter for May 16.
The bench was hearing a plea filed by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) against a daily shortfall of 120 cusecs of water from the Yamuna.
The DJB had sought instructions to Haryana to supply 450 cusecs of potable water daily to Delhi, as agreed between the two states. Haryana was supplying to Delhi only 330 cusecs of water daily as against 450 cusec per day, the DJB petition said.
During the hearing, the Haryana government told the court that it has not reduced water supply to Delhi even though availability of the Yamuna water at Tajewala was down to about 56 per cent of the normal expected quantity during the first four months of 2018.
"On an average, 2,289 cusecs of water was received at Tajewala from January 1 to April 30, as against 4,081 cusecs estimated by the UYRB for the purpose of making tentative distribution," said Haryana's affidavit.
But the DJB now wants additional supplies of about 120 cusecs, which is totally unjustified, it added.
The state had earlier told the bench that it was receiving only 50 per cent water from the Hathni barrage and there is a "huge distress" of water level in Haryana.
With Delhi facing water shortage, the DJB had moved the Supreme Court for directions to Haryana to release adequate water to the Wazirabad reservoir, alleging that Yamuna water supply had been reduced by one third.
"Delhi is in the midst of an acute water crisis owing to stop in supply of water by Haryana into the Yamuna, which is meant for drinking purposes in Delhi," the DJB plea said.
The DJB's water treatment plants have been functioning below capacities over the past few weeks due to a drop in Yamuna water level and release of polluted water from Haryana that could not be treated, it added.
Yamuna water sharing between Delhi and Haryana has been a contentious issue for decades and the apex court had ordered Haryana to release 450 cusecs of water daily to Delhi in February 1996.
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Indian space industry offers tremendous opportunity for private players, says ISRO Chief
Kochi (PTI): ISRO Chairman S Somanath has said the Indian space industry is offering a tremendous opportunity to the private sector in the country as a new area of growth and development.
He said the union government envisages the space sector in the country to become a 9 to10 billion dollar industry in the next 5-10 years from the current levels of 2 billion dollars.
Somanath was speaking after unveiling the carbon reduction initiative of SFO Technologies, the flagship company of the NeST Group, in a function here on Saturday, a company release said.
He also said that 400 private sector companies have benefited from the technology developed by ISRO for its various missions.
Companies like SFO Technologies are well positioned to take further advantage of the new policy initiatives in the space sector by the government of India.
"The Indian space industry is offering a tremendous opportunity for the private sector in the country as a new area of growth and development," the ISRO chief added.
Besides planting a sapling at the NeST Hitek Park to mark the occasion, Somanath also unveiled a replica of Chandrayaan at the campus highlighting the cooperation of SFO Technologies and ISRO.
He interacted with the NeST engineers and management team later.
The Carbon Reduction initiative of the NeST Group is in tune with the United Nations' objective of achieving a 50 percent reduction by 2035 and zero emissions by 2040, the release said.
SFO Technologies has close association with ISRO for many years, it said adding that the two have worked in multiple programmes such as the RF sub-systems for Chandrayaan and Aditya Missions, manufacturing of Antenna Systems, and Cryogenic Engine Control Systems for launch vehicles.
NeST Group Chairman N Jehangir said discussions are on with ISRO for various projects including the ambitious 'Gaganyaan' mission, aiming to carry human beings to the space for the first time.
SFO Technologies and NeST Group are committed to protecting the environment and reducing carbon emissions, said Althaf Jehangir, CEO and Executive Director, SFO Technologies, Hardware and Manufacturing.
He also said that they have signed agreements with multiple partners to create a model of being a socially responsible organisation by minimising carbon pollution.
Nazneen Jehangir, CEO and Executive Director, Nest Digital, also spoke on the occasion, the release added.
