Police taking no action despite written complaints forwarded by department
By Amrit Pal Brar
Bathinda, 29 June 2019: The team of officials of the Bathinda Canal Division of the Irrigation department led by Executive Engineer Gurjinder Singh Bahia has caught 16 canal water theft cases in Dadahur Sub Division area on Friday morning.
The Irrigation Department has registered 23 cases of water theft across the Dadahur Sub Division and Teona distributory in the past one week; farmers of the villages located at the tail-ends of the canals are being deprived of their share of water due to unauthorised water stealing. Dadahur division falls in Barnala district whereas Teona distributory in Bathinda district.
7 cases caught by SDO Jagmeet Singh Bhaker
A number of incidents of drawing water through illegal pipes from the Teona distribution line had been uncovered today early morning at 2.00 am by the SDO Teona sub division Jagmeet Singh Bhaker and his staff. They caught 7 unauthorised pipes between DO 4000 of Doomwali minor and between RD 37000- 2000.
Sources say the canal water theft is on the rise since the beginning of the paddy cultivation and the farmers in the tail end are not getting adequate water to irrigate their fields due to these unauthorised stealing.
The farmers usually indulge in water theft at the time of paddy cultivation, which needs considerable amount of water. They either put rubber pipes in canals or drains or draw water through by using engines
But the efforts made by officials of the Irrigation Department to check canal water theft are proving ineffective as the police department is not cooperating in the matter. The officials of the Irrigation department catches the water thefts cases and forward these cases to police for further action, and the police takes no action in the matter. Author can be contacted at amritbrar2012@gmail.com & 9814313405.
