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SC refuses to hear plea for 100% cut in water to Maha liquor industry
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a petition seeking to cut water supply to breweries, distilleries and other related industries in the droughthit regions
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a petition seeking to cut water supply to breweries, distilleries and other related industries in the droughthit regions of Maharashtra.
A vacation bench of justice PC Pant and justice DY Chandrachud said the Bombay high court had already passed an interim order in this regard.
“These are policy matters and not for the courts to intervene. This will amount to judicial interference in administrative issues. The high court has given an interim order and the matter is pending there,” the bench told the petitioner, a social activist who claimed breweries in the state consume 90 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet of water annually.
The petitioner, Sanjay Bhaskarrao Kale, challenged the high court’s April 26 order that permitted 40% reduction in water supply to the liquor industry. Kale said there should be a complete ban.
The counsel argued that the government policy favoured her client’s petition and people in Aurangabad district do not have even a drop of water to survive.
She asserted people were dying in the state due to a shortage of water but the government was distributing it to the liquor industry. Citing official data, Kale claimed there is an unauthorised lifting of water by the industry, besides the regular supply.
The requirement of water in Maharashtra for drinking and other domestic uses is less than 20 TMC per year, the petition claimed. Kale argued the government was under obligation to give preference to water for drinking purpose, then agriculture and commercial.
