Water theft increases as level falls in Fatehpura

Assistant Executive Engineer K B Kapadia said: “There are three to four persons in every village,who make dents in the pipelines and steal water. We are bound to file police complaints against them,as the water pipeline is for Dahod municipality,which is a government property.”

He added that often linesmen monitoring the pipelines are attacked when they try to catch those stealing water.

The deputy engineer with the Gujarat Water Supply and Sanitation Board from Jhalod,who had filed the complaint,said there has been a rise in instances of water theft near Jhalod and Santrampur,where two parts of Bhanesmal project are on.

In Dungar village of Fatehpura taluka,the damming of major rivers like Mahi and Panam has not helped much.

Villager Bapatsinh Damor counts at least seven instances when complaints were lodged against his neighbours for making dents in the pipelines.

But Santrampur Sub-Inspector M V Baljod said it was the first such complaint lodged in the police station.

“They were taking drinking water as there is scarcity in the region. The incident was reported from Fatehpura taluka in Dahod. We have asked the investigating officers to get in touch with the Dahod police for further probe,” he said.