Delhi High Court Seeks Fresh Status Report From Centre In PIL Seeking Safe Drinking Water At Railway Stations

The Delhi High Court has sought a fresh status report from the Central Government in a public interest litigation alleging that the drinking water served at the railway stations of Northern Railways does not meet the standard prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad granted six weeks time to the Centre for filing the fresh status report while listing the matter for hearing on February 15, 2023.

The order was passed after the counsel appearing for the petitioner NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) apprised the court that the government had filed a status report in the year 2019 which was still under office objections.

"It is also brought to the notice of this court that the status report in the matter was filed in the year 2019. Let a fresh status report be filed positively within six weeks from today," the court said.

At the outset, Chief Justice Sharma orally told Centre's counsel "You should read a poem by Shri Harivansh Rai Bacchan on this drinking water. You must read it…very interesting. It's fitting in this present scenario. You must read it. It's a six line poem…."

Filed in the year 2015, the PIL said the quality of drinking water being supplied at Railway Stations as well as Railway colonies of Northern Railway does not meet the specified standards.

It was also alleged in the plea that the Northern Railways failed to comply with the instructions issued by the Railway Board from time to time for providing the necessary Chlorination plants in all the Divisions.

On August 27, 2015, the High Court had asked Railways to furnish the bacteriological results of water testing from all the divisions of Northern Railway for the period from January to August, 2015 after getting tests done by a private NABL Accredited laboratory. A direction was also given to submit the data regarding chlorination plants in each Division of the Northern Railway.

The plea argues that the water being supplied in railway stations must be tested at reputed laboratories as not all accredited labs have the facility to properly test water samples. The water treatment infrastructure for disinfection of water by chlorination has almost completely collapsed, the plea alleges.

Title: CPIL v. UOI & Anr.