AMN/
The Bombay High Court has restrained the Maharashtra government from releasing water from Gangapur dam for the Friday’s Shahi Snaan in the ongoing Nashik Kumbh Mela as many parts of state are facing a drought.
The direction came during the hearing of a petition filed by H M Desarda, a professor from Pune, against the state’s decision to release one Thousand Million Cubic water for every ‘Shahi Snaan’ during the Kumbh Mela even though many parts of Maharashtra are facing a drought.
A division bench of the Court said that the state government will have to take prior permission from the court if it wanted to use the dam water for Kumbh Mela.
The court said that water can be released for drinking and other necessary facilities, but not for the holy dip in river Godavari during the Kumbh Mela.
“There is admission that during shahi snan on August 29, September 13 and September 18, water was released from Gangapur dam under orders of the collector,” said the court pointing to a letter written by the collector, which authorised release of water for shahi snan.
The HC said that the collector had acted contrary to the Government Resolution of September 7, adding that water which was used during the shahi snan could have been used to provide drinking water to Nashik city.
According to a September 7 resolution, the government had taken note of water scarcity in different parts of the state and recorded that till there is adequate rainfall, district collectors will have to preserve water in various dams for drinking purposes. “Though according to policy, utmost priority needs to be given for drinking water, in practicality it is being given to shahi snan.
Prima facie permission granted by the collector is completely contrary to the government’s decision,” the court observed. The court also pointed to a letter addressed by executive engineer (irrigation), Nashik, which said that during shahi snan, the Godavari river has become very dirty and requested for the release of additional water from Gangapur dam to cleanse it.
“How much water will need to be released for washing away dirt created by Kumbh mela?” asked the court. The district collector has been asked to file a reply on this aspect. The state government gave an assurance that no water will be released from Gangapur dam till October 12, when an event is scheduled to take place in Nashik as part of the Kumbh mela, and which will continue till August 2016. A written statement was also submitted by the chief officer of Trimbakeshwar Municipal Corporation, stating that no water would be released for the last shahi snan on September 25 in Trimbakeshwar.