The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to explain its failure to eradicate the need for water tankers across the state, demanding a full accounting of funds received and utilized under the Jal Jeevan Mission since its inception in 2019.
Hearing public interest litigations regarding water shortages and malnutrition in tribal regions on Wednesday, a division bench comprising Justices Ajey S Gadkari and Kamal R Khata ordered the state to submit a concrete action plan within three weeks. The court expressed significant concern over the effectiveness of current drinking water initiatives, questioning whether the programs are genuinely reaching and benefiting the citizens who need them most.
Administrative Hurdles In Tribal Belts
During the proceedings, the state government acknowledged that villages in the Melghat region, specifically Dharani and Chikhaldara, currently remain dependent on tanker water deliveries. Assistant Government Pleader P M Joshi-Deshpande explained that infrastructure work for the Jal Jeevan Mission in these areas is stalled while awaiting necessary pipeline clearances from the Forest Department, as the region falls under a wild forest zone classification. She maintained that the state is actively providing alternative water supplies to affected residents in the interim.
In addition to clearance delays, potential financial bottlenecks were raised during the session. Senior Advocate Jugal Kishore Gilda, representing one of the petitioners, informed the court that the central government has withheld its 50 percent share of project funding since October 2024.
Court Criticizes Prolonged Delays
The bench strongly criticized the overall timeline of the state’s efforts, noting that securing basic administrative permissions should not take five years. While acknowledging the specific clearance issues in Melghat, the judges pressed state representatives to explain why regions outside the restricted forest areas have not yet been freed from tanker dependency.
The justices asked whether the resources meant for the public had effectively evaporated, warning against allowing water relief schemes to continue indefinitely without measurable, permanent results.
This latest directive builds on previous remarks made by the same bench on June 23. At that time, the judges observed that persistent official inaction on malnutrition and tribal water scarcity had done little but burden court records, prompting their demand for a time-bound water supply strategy. The state is required to present its detailed response regarding past expenditures and future mitigation measures at the next scheduled hearing.
