The Allahabad High Court directed the Uttar Pradesh government to speed up the construction of five water treatment plants across Lucknow.
A Division Bench issued the order to tackle municipal water scarcity and improve clean drinking water availability in the state capital.
State departments and urban local bodies were asked to clear procedural bottlenecks and submit progress reports on project execution.
The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to expedite land allotment and financial approvals for setting up five water treatment plants in the state capital, observing that their establishment is essential.
A division bench of Justices Rajan Roy and Manjive Shukla in Lucknow passed the order on Thursday while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Utkarsh Lok Seva Sansthan.
During the hearing, the state government informed the court that a proposal seeking financial approval of Rs 231.52 crore for the proposed water treatment plant on Sitapur Road had been placed before the state cabinet and a decision was expected shortly. The district magistrate has already allotted land for the project, it submitted.
The government also informed the court through affidavits that land had been identified at four other locations -- Barabanki Road, Kanpur Road, Sultanpur Road and Hardoi Road -- for setting up the plants through the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Urban).
Taking note of the submissions, the court directed the state government to complete the land allotment process and hand over the identified plots to the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Urban), according to the order.
It further directed the government to secure the necessary financial approvals for the remaining four plants by following the procedure adopted for the Sitapur Road project.
The bench asked the state government to file an affidavit before the next hearing, detailing the cabinet's decision on the Sitapur Road project and the progress made in setting up the other four plants.
The matter will be heard again after a month.
