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Water Diversion: Metro Board now keeps an eagle eye on tanker drivers
Metro Board now keeps an eagle eye on tanker drivers
Following the reports of water theft and its subsequent diversion to the industrial areas in Kattedan, the tanker drivers now at the Mir Alam Filter, Bahadurpura of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) are taking the water to the intended locations fearing a blowback.
Hyderabad: Following the reports of water theft and its subsequent diversion to the industrial areas in Kattedan, the tanker drivers now at the Mir Alam Filter, Bahadurpura of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) are taking the water to the intended locations fearing a blowback.
Recently, the Water Board chief ordered an inquiry into the report of alleged water diversion by tanker drivers to the industries in Kattedan instead of supplying to the underserved areas, and causing a huge loss to the Water Board. It is said that the authorities even filed an FIR at Kalapathar police station against a few water tanker drivers following a brawl at the filling station that left a filling metre damaged.
A total of 43 tanker drivers are employed at Mir Alam Filter, Bahadurpura, who are assigned to supply drinking water to remotely located underserved areas facing acute shortage of water. Together, these drivers make 350 to 400 trips a day from the filling station to the intended areas of the city. Instead of supplying water to the destined areas, these drivers were reportedly diverting it to industrial areas in Katedan at a price of Rs 1,700 to 1,800 per tanker of capacity 5,000 litres. The presence of political nexus is also alleged into the whole episode.
However, the issue came to the light when the authorities at the filling station, following a brawl with the tanker drivers, spilled the beans before the higher authorities explaining about the diversion. After learning about the irregularities, Water Board chief Dana Kishor ordered a thorough investigation besides booking criminal cases against the tanker drivers involved in irregularities.
It is against this backdrop, the tanker drivers have retreated resulting in sharp decrease of trips at the filling station. "Earlier, the drivers used to make 350 to 400 trips a day from the filling station. In last the few days, the trips have been dropped to 25 to 30, and just 2 to 3 trips per day since Monday. This shows the quantum of water theft and the heavy damage caused to the Water Board," informed an official on the condition of anonymity.
