Pay for every unit of water: HC to public

Asking the DJB to come up with a fresh notification so all the 5.5 lakh consumers come in the net,a Division Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna noted: “No service can come free for the citizens,and they must pay justly from their pockets. Costs of installation and maintenance of the meters must be borne by the consumers,who avail the services in the given factual matrix where the DJB cannot install the meters.”

The court was earlier informed by DJB counsel Sumeet Pushkarna that they were suffering huge financial losses because of their inability to install new meters. “There are around four lakh defunct meters,and another 1.5 lakh unmetered connections,where we charge the consumers on an average basis. There is a provision in the Delhi Water Board Act whereby consumers can be permitted to install meters on their own. But our previous efforts in this regard have not borne results,” Pushkarna said.

The Bench,which was hearing the PIL by the residents of Rajinder Nagar against the DJB’s failure to install water meters despite repeated requests,noted that the provision of the law that burdened the DJB with the duty to install meters should be read in the changed scenario. “While we direct the DJB to install the 5,000 meters they have in their store,we must delve on whether a citizen could refuse to pay,saying that there is no meter or that the meter is not working. We think that need of water cannot be marginalised and,hence,its paucity cannot be countenanced. Consumption of more water,and paying very less for it,is deplorable and we cannot tolerate it,” the Bench noted.

The court then directed the DJB to come up with a notification in a month with details of the authorised meter brands,besides shops from where these meters can be purchased. The notification will also give details of DJB licensed plumbers,who will mandatorily install the meters within 15 days of purchase by the consumer.

Hailing the court order,DJB CEO Ramesh Negi said: “The Court orders may mean a revenue increase to the tune of 20-25 per cent.”