SANTHOSH KUMAR A. C. Vs. STATE OF KERALA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Petitioners are the sitting ward members of the Aluva Municipality. The first petitioner is the ward member of Ward No.21, the 2nd petitioner is the member of Ward No.25 and the 3rd petitioner is the member of Ward No.10 in Aluva Municipality. Respondent Nos.6 to 19 are the residents of Aluva Municipality, having properties in the Aluva Municipality and they allow water to be extracted illegally by the operators of drinking water for commercial purposes. According to the petitioners, large amounts of water are daily pumped out from their wells and the same is distributed in large quantities for providing water to the large commercial buildings such as Malls, Hospitals, High rise buildings, in and around Ernakulam. They also cater water to large ships, which call on the Cochin Port. According to the petitioners, the groundwater is depleting day by day and thereby, the locals are facing acute water shortage. Hence, the petitioners have approached this Court by filing the instant writ petition, seeking to stop the illegal extraction of the groundwater, thereby exploiting mother nature, and also contending that the locals are in the receiving end for the greed of a group of people who are really a Mafia like group.

(2.) Counter affidavit filed on behalf of the Director, Ground Water Department, Jalavijnana Bhavan, Ambalamedu, Thiruvananthapuram - 4th respondent, respondent, is reproduced hereunder:

(3.) It is submitted that, the District Office, Groundwater, Department, Ernakulam has conducted an inspection in and around Aluva Municipality and the activities which are detrimental to the level of the groundwater in the area, has been reported to the District Collector. The Collector has taken necessary action to stop the pumping of groundwater from the concerned wells.