RTI for UP Jal Nigam Water Supply and Sewerage

Access to clean piped water and a functioning sewerage network is a basic civic right, yet thousands of households across Uttar Pradesh wait months for a new connection, wonder whether their village was genuinely covered under the Jal Jeevan Mission, or endure contaminated water and broken sewerage lines without any official explanation. Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam — the state's premier body for water supply and sewerage infrastructure — is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. For a single payment of ₹10, any citizen can file a written application compelling the Nigam to disclose connection application status, project expenditure records, Jal Jeevan Mission installation data, water quality test results, contractor details, and complaint redressal records. This guide explains what UP Jal Nigam holds, how to file an RTI application, and how to escalate if the response is delayed or inadequate.

Understanding UP Jal Nigam: Urban and Rural Wings

Before filing, it is important to understand that UP Jal Nigam operates through two functionally distinct wings, and identifying the correct one determines which office you should write to.

UP Jal Nigam (Urban) is responsible for planning, constructing, and maintaining piped water supply schemes and sewerage networks in urban local body areas across Uttar Pradesh — covering municipal corporations, municipal councils, and notified area committees. It executes urban water supply projects funded under AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation), state plan funds, and urban local body budgets. If you are seeking a new household water connection in a town or city, or are dealing with a sewerage overflow in an urban ward, this is the wing to approach.

UP Jal Nigam (Rural) — formerly known as Jal Nigam's rural wing and now the primary executor of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in UP — is responsible for rural piped water supply schemes, construction of village-level infrastructure (overhead tanks, pumping stations, distribution pipelines), and installation of Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) in Gram Panchayats. If your concern relates to a Jal Jeevan Mission connection in a village, a rural pipeline project, or a rural water quality issue, your RTI must go to the SPIO of UP Jal Nigam's rural division or district office, not the urban headquarters.

Both wings fall under the Urban Development Department of the Government of Uttar Pradesh and are subject to the RTI Act. The Principal Headquarters of UP Jal Nigam is at 510 Ashok Marg, Lucknow – 226001, but for faster responses on local matters, file with the SPIO of the relevant Divisional or District Office of Jal Nigam where the work or connection falls.

What Records Does UP Jal Nigam Hold?

UP Jal Nigam maintains extensive records across its projects and services — all of which are disclosable under the RTI Act unless covered by a specific exemption under Section 8. Key categories of information you can request include:

New water connection applications and status: The Nigam maintains registers of all household and commercial water connection applications received — including the application number, date of receipt, the scheme under which the connection will be provided, and the current processing stage. If your connection has been pending without reason, the RTI record will show whether the file was processed, whether an inspection was ordered, or whether the application was sitting on an officer's desk undisturbed.

Pipeline project records and expenditure: For every water supply or sewerage construction project sanctioned in a city, town, or village, the Nigam maintains detailed project files — including the sanctioned cost, the amount released by the state government, funds utilised at each stage, the physical progress of work (kilometres of pipeline laid, number of connections made), and the name of the executing agency or contractor. These records are particularly useful when a project is stuck or when there are allegations that funds were released but work was not completed.

Jal Jeevan Mission FHTC installation status: Under the Jal Jeevan Mission — the central government's flagship scheme to provide piped water to every rural household — UP Jal Nigam's rural wing tracks the number of FHTCs installed and certified as functional in each Gram Panchayat. This data is reported to the national portal, but discrepancies between reported numbers and ground reality are common. An RTI application can compel the Nigam to disclose the contractor-wise, village-wise list of FHTCs installed and the date on which each village was declared fully covered.

Water quality test reports: The Nigam is required to conduct regular bacteriological and chemical tests on water supplied from its schemes. Test reports — including the date, the testing laboratory, the parameters examined, the results, and any remedial action ordered — are held at the relevant divisional or district office and are fully disclosable.

Sewerage connection records and contractor details: For towns covered under sewerage schemes, the Nigam holds records of household sewerage connections sanctioned and executed, the contractor awarded the pipeline or treatment plant construction contract, the contract value, the work schedule, and any quality inspection or defect liability actions taken.

Complaint redressal records: All formal complaints received by Jal Nigam — whether about water supply disruption, pipeline bursts, low pressure, non-functional FHTCs, or sewerage overflow — are registered and tracked. Records of complaints received and action taken are disclosable and often reveal systemic neglect or repeated unaddressed grievances.

How to File: Step by Step

1. Identify the right SPIO: For urban water connections, sewerage schemes, and urban project records, write to the SPIO at UP Jal Nigam's relevant urban divisional office or the Principal Headquarters at 510 Ashok Marg, Lucknow – 226001. For Jal Jeevan Mission and rural pipeline queries, write to the SPIO of the UP Jal Nigam (Rural) district or divisional office. For state-level policy and aggregate data, the Principal SPIO at the Lucknow headquarters can be approached.
2. Draft your application with specifics: Mention the village, ward, locality, or district; the connection application number or scheme name; and the financial year you are asking about. List each information request as a numbered point. Specific, targeted questions receive faster and more complete responses than vague ones. Use the sample draft above as a starting point.
3. Pay the application fee: Pay ₹10 online through the UP RTI portal at rtionlineup.up.nic.in or enclose an Indian Postal Order of ₹10 drawn in favour of the relevant Accounts Officer if filing by post. Citizens below the poverty line (BPL cardholders) are exempt — attach a self-attested copy of the BPL card. Do not send cash by post.
4. File and preserve your acknowledgement: Save the application number and receipt. The 30-day response period under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act begins from the date the SPIO receives your application.
5. Escalate through appeals if needed: If no response arrives within 30 days, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) with the First Appellate Authority (the officer senior to the SPIO in the same office) within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. No fee is payable for a First Appeal. If still unsatisfied, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) with the Uttar Pradesh State Information Commission (UPSIC) within 90 days. The UPSIC can order disclosure of information and impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on the defaulting SPIO under Section 20 of the RTI Act.

Appeals: First Appeal and Second Appeal

If the SPIO provides no response, an incomplete response, or a response that withholds information without citing a valid exemption under Section 8 of the RTI Act, the appeals process gives you two further levels of recourse.

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): Address your First Appeal to the First Appellate Authority — typically the Superintending Engineer, Chief Engineer, or Managing Director of the relevant Jal Nigam wing, depending on the level of the SPIO you wrote to. The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. No fee is payable.

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): If the First Appellate Authority also fails to respond within 30 days or gives an unsatisfactory response, you may file a Second Appeal with the Uttar Pradesh State Information Commission (UPSIC) under Section 15 of the RTI Act. The Second Appeal must be filed within 90 days of the date of the First Appellate Authority's decision or expiry of its response deadline. The UPSIC is the final adjudicatory authority for all Uttar Pradesh state public authorities — including UP Jal Nigam. All second appeals against UP Jal Nigam go to the UPSIC, never to the Central Information Commission (CIC), which only has jurisdiction over Central Government bodies.

The UPSIC can issue orders for disclosure, impose a daily penalty of ₹250 (up to ₹25,000 total) on the defaulting SPIO under Section 20, and recommend disciplinary proceedings where delay or suppression of information was willful.