The Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the Delhi government over the prevalence of tanker mafia and water wastage in the city, and asked what measures it has taken against them.

A vacation bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Prasanna B Varale told Delhi government that if it can't deal with tanker mafia, it will ask the Delhi Police to take action in the matter.

"Why were false statements made before this court? Water is coming from Himachal Pradesh then where is the water going in Delhi? There is so much spillage, tanker mafias etc.. what measures have you taken in this regard.

"People are suffering, we are seeing visuals on every news channel. What measures have you taken to control water wastage if water scarcity is a recurring problem in summers," the bench observed orally.

Advocate Shadan Farasat, appearing for the Delhi government, said there is action, including massive disconnection of water supplies, so that excess water wastage is stopped.

The top court asked the Delhi government to file a report stating action taken for the loss of water. The matter will be taken up on Thursday.

The top court is hearing a plea filed by the Delhi government seeking a direction to Haryana to release the surplus water provided by Himachal Pradesh to the national capital to mitigate its water crisis.

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