Thieves make off with 86,000 litre water in Theog

Several parts of Theog, a small town about 40 km from Shimla, didn’t get water supply today. Not getting water supply is not unusual for the residents of the town, but the reason behind it is quite bizarre.

As per the Jal Shakti Vibhag official, thieves drove away with 86,000 litre water stored in a tank for the town last night. “People woke up this morning to find that the taps had gone dry. On checking with the Jal Shakti Vibhag officials, we found that water had been stolen from the tank. It’s a bizarre incident,” said Vivek Thapar, a former chairman of the Theog Municipal Corporation.

Mehboob Sheikh, a Jal Shakti Vibhag official in the area, said a police complaint had been filed. “The thieves broke the locks of the gates and opened up all outlets of the tank, leaving it totally dry,” he said. “We will discuss the issue with the higher-ups of the department and seek their permission to install CCTV cameras at the tank site,” said Sheikh.

Incidentally, Theog had seen a big water scam a few months back. Rakesh Singha, a former MLA of the area, and his associated had dug out irregularities related to water distribution in Theog and nearby areas through tankers. The numbers of vehicles registered as tankers for distribution of water turned out to be those of scooters, motorcycles and cars! Several JSV officials were suspended following the disclosure, and the inquiry into the incident is still continuing.

Incidentally, Theog and surrounding areas have been facing shortage of water for a few years. Pressure on water resources has increased immensely following the mushrooming of hotels and home stay accommodations in the area. Most of the hotels and some home stays depend on water tankers to meet their demand during the tourist season. “It seems water has been stolen to sell it to some hotel or home stay,” said another resident of the town.

Himachal Tribune