PIL seeks free distribution of potable water

The problem of non-availability of drinking water at public places is so acute that it has led to deaths in many parts of the country, the petition said.  Governments were spending billions of rupees for various construction projects but nothing was being done to provide free drinking water to the people, said the PIL filed by Voice of India, a civil society body.
Through the petition, its office bearer Dhanesh Ieshdhan  claimed that despite innumerable representations before the authorities regarding the “injurious and deceiving practice” of allowing vendors to sell “unhygienic water” using trolleys across Delhi, no action was taken by the government.

He alleged that people who sell water in trolleys was operating like a racket in Delhi and other parts of north India and it was being promoted by officials in nexus with some unscrupulous people.

The petitioner claimed that a letter from the Delhi municipal authorities, in response to his representation, substantiated his claims as to how the civic bodies manage public affairs with a “blind eye” and present themselves as if they do not have knowledge about the “ongoing malpractice”.

The petition said the absence of public utility providing potable drinking water at public places was violative of the fundamental rights  guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.