The day after the Lieutenant Governor's (L-G) secretariat instructed the Delhi Police Commissioner to maintain strict vigilance along the Munak Canal to prevent water theft, police reported the seizure of two tankers allegedly involved in stealing water from the area on Friday.
Speaking about the incident, the police stated, "We have seized two tankers for stealing water from the canal. One tanker was seized from Kacchi Sadak near an agricultural field, and the other from D-block, DSIIDC."
"We have registered two cases under the Environment Protection Act at Bawana and the NIA police station," it added.
Significantly, the Friday's development comes after Delhi Water Minister Atishi wrote a letter to L-G V K Saxena, urging an inquiry against senior officials in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). Atishi alleged that these officials might have illegal ties with the “tanker mafia.” She stated, “Chief Secy and CEO of Delhi Jal Board decreased the number of tankers deployed by DJB, despite my instructions. A reduction in DJB tankers could have created scope for illegal private tankers. So, an inquiry needs to be conducted to check for their possible collusion with the tanker mafia.”
Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that according to available data, the number of tankers decreased from 1,323 in June 2023 to 881 in March this year, finally rising to 1,211 in June.
L-G office hits back
Moreover, in response to the Water Minister's allegations, the L-G's office stated that despite knowing about the large-scale water mafia operating in Delhi, the DJB had never filed a complaint with the police nor requested action from the L-G.
The LG Secretariat communicated, "Hon'ble Lt. Governor has desired that strict vigilance and monitoring be ensured along this canal to prevent any further theft of water by the tanker mafia and to catch those involved in such illegal activities in the past, taking necessary legal action against these elements."
"A compliance report in this regard may be furnished within a week to this Secretariat for the perusal of the Hon'ble Lt. Governor," it added.
Furthermore, the LG office also accused Atishi of issuing a “patently false statement, blaming Haryana for the scarcity of water in Delhi.”
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