Chhattisgarh HC Takes Suo Moto Cognizance Of News Report Claiming False Certification On Water Supply Under Jal Jeevan Mission
|The Chhattisgarh High Court took suo moto cognisance of a news report claiming the state government had falsely claimed that it had supplied water to village and received certification under the Central Government's Jal Jeevan Mission.
The Court ordered the Public Health And Engineering Department to respond through affidavit with a timeline for completion of the water supply work.
The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched in 2019, aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal ordered, "In view of the above submission, we deem it appropriate to direct the respondent No. 2, Secretary, Public Health & Engineering Department, Government of Chhattisgarh, to file his personal affidavit addressing the issues involved in the aforesaid news report in detail. He shall inform this Court through his affidavit as to when the Jal Jivan Mission was launched in the State and by what time, the same would be completed."
Additional Advocate General Raj Kumar Gupta appeared for the State of Chhattisgarh.
The Court was hearing a suo moto Public Interest Litigation petition based on a news report published in the Hindi newspaper Dainik Bhaskar stating that state officials had obtained a certificate claiming a hundred percent water supply in various village of Chattisgarh, when, in fact, the supply had reached only a few houses. The counsel for the state submitted that the news report erroneously claims that eight villages had been certified to have universal water supply, when only three villages had been certified as so.
"Looking to the seriousness of the matter and further it involves concern of the public at large relating to supply of water to the households located in various villages, this matter is takenup for hearing during the winter holidays." the Court said on taking suo moto cognisance.
According to the dashboard on the Jal Jeevan Mission's website, more than 36 lakh households have been provided functional tap connections since the start of the mission in 2019, covering a 78 percent of the rural households.
The news report states that in one of the villages, water was being supplied only to 20% of the population of that village. About another village, the report says those who do not have ration cards were denied a water supply connection. “After initiation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, Bilaspur has remained the most disputed district.” The Court notes from the news report.
In various villages, it says, the officials claimed to have completed the work of installing taps in all houses when, in fact, even pipelines had not been laid in the entire village.
The newspaper had also published pictures of under-construction overhead water tank “which speaks volumes as without construction of the overhead water tank, water cannot be supplied to all the houses located in the villages,” the Court observed.
The Court recorded that “despite the widespread irregularities, the current Chief Engineer has claimed that an investigation will be conducted.” It remarked that the villagers were unhappy with the sarpanch and the panchayat members "who seem to be doing nothing to address the issue" and also noted a discrepancy in the water bills, with some areas being charged ₹100 and others ₹80 per month.
Chattisgarh Additional Advocate General Raj Kumar Gupta submitted that the news report is not correct and that till date, only three villages, namely Newra, Bhawakapa and Bannakdih, had been certified to have completed hundred percent of the work of water supply to the houses whereas the news report claims this about eight villages.
In view of the above, the Court ordered the filing of an affidavit the timeline for completion of work under the Jal Jeevan Mission and posted the matter for further hearing on January 8, 2025.
In The Matter Of Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation Based On News Item Published In Daily News Paper Dainik Bhaskar, Bilaspur Bhaskar Chhattisgarh [WPPIL No. 109 of 2024]
Click here to read/download the Order