Saturday, December 23, 2006

SC Notice to Govt on Water Supply Privatisation
The Supreme Court on Friday issued show cause notices to the government authorities demanding reasons why the government was planning to hand over the management of water supply in the Kathmandu Valley to an international company.
A single bench of Justice Rajendra Kumar Bhandari issued the 15-day show cause notices responding to a writ petition jointly filed by a group of advocates including Jyoti Baniya and the Drinking Water and Users Group Federation challenging the government's plan.
The bench also called the authorities the Prime Ministers Office and the Cabinet and the Ministry of Water Resources to send their representatives before the apex court on December 27 to enable SC to decide whether or not to issue a stay order on the issue.
The petitioners have claimed that it was the right of the people to get pure drinking water and it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that and that any government cannot escape from the responsibility.The government is planning to hand over the management of water supply system in the Kathmandu valley to Severn Tent Water International Private Limited, a British company for $ 8.5 million.

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