The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Municipality pulled up for supplying polluted water

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 20, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Municipality pulled up for supplying polluted water

By K.T. Sangameswaran

CHENNAI, DEC. 19. In an egalitarian society, statutory bodies such as municipalities should attend to public needs, especially when serious complaints such as drinking water contamination, are made, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has observed.

Pulling up the Ramanathapuram Municipality for turning a deaf ear to complaints of water contamination, the Commission dismissed an appeal filed by the local body, with costs of Rs. 250. It rejected the municipality's contention that residents were not consumers. It cited rulings of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and other State Commissions and held that consumer courts were competent to deal with such complaints.

Johns Colony Residents Welfare Association, Singarathope, Ramanathapuram, represented by its secretary, N. David Solomon, complained to the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum seeking a direction to the municipality to supply potable water through pipeline. It alleged that the water supplied through the pipe was contaminated with sewage. Several persons had taken ill after consuming the water. Accepting the association's case, the Forum directed the municipality to supply potable drinking water and also pay a compensation of Rs. 15,000 to the complainant.

Challenging the order, the Municipality Commissioner preferred appeal.

In its order, the Commission Bench, comprising Justice A. Raman and member R. Vanaroja, said documents clearly established that the colony residents were complaining to the municipality frequently that the water supplied was not potable. The local body admitted that during reconstruction of the sewerage system, the drinking water pipe had been damaged, resulting in contamination. The defect had been immediately set right, the municipality said but the Bench did not accept the contention.

The Commission said numerous correspondences clearly established that the municipality had not taken steps. There was a clear deficiency in service, it said and justified the lower forum's order.

Contamination of drinking water was a threat to public health and the municipality should have taken immediate measures, but it had failed to do so. The residents would have been put to considerable hardship for want of potable water, which the municipality was bound to supply. "More so, when they are collecting water tax for the same," the Commission said.

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