Water mafia making sales to industrial units in Una: MLA

Congress MLA Mukesh Agnihotri told the Assembly that Himachal Pradesh was witnessing the advent of a new water mafia engaged in large-scale pilferage.

Congress MLA Mukesh Agnihotri told the Assembly on Wednesday that Himachal Pradesh was witnessing the advent of a new water mafia engaged in large-scale pilferage and sale of water from private tubewells to industrial units in Una district.

Raising the issue during the Question Hour,the MLA said: The racket,with no check,has assumed an alarming proportion as the government has not been able to impose curbs on the illegal water trade. He said though water table in the district was fast depleting,a large number of private tubewell owners,who had been given permission to use the ground water to irrigate their fields,were selling water to industrial units at the rate of Rs 500 per tanker.

As Irrigation and Public Health Minister Ravinder Ravi rejected the charge,Agnihotri said he was giving this information to the entire House with full responsibility and could present proofs,inviting the minister to verify the facts. Ravi later assured that the government would take steps to check such pilferage.

Earlier,in reply to a question of Shimla MLA Suresh Bhardwaj,Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said the government had spent Rs 12.60 crore on the conservation of Gaiety Theatre and there was a proposal to set up a museum in the complex.

Kush Parmar of the Cong,who raised the issue of delay in the completion of 72-km Kumarhatti-Nahan road,was informed by PWD Minister Gulab Singh Thakur that the project funded by the World Bank was progressing at a faster pace and the road would be completed by July 2012.

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