The Times of India              03.08.2013

Owners with illegal water connections to face police cases

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) will lodge complaints with the police against people who have illegal water connections and the new decision will come into force from Saturday in all 16 operations and maintenance divisions in the city, officials said.

The HMWS&SB managing director, J Syamala Rao on Friday said the commissioner of police, Hyderabad has also promised to issue instructions to all the station house officers (SHOs) to receive the complaints to be lodged by the board and to prosecute offenders.

The Water Board noticed that people are resorting to theft of water through illegal connections causing huge financial loss to the board and also causing pollution of drinking water.

Allegations are rife that in some cases, the employees of the board are involved directly or indirectly in such illegal activities. U/s 49 (b) of the HMWS&SB Act, 1989 is clearly saying, willfully with a malafide intention meddling, breaking of water supply pipeline is an offence.

Mischievously causing diminution of water supply due to illegal connection is a punishable offence.

On Friday, Water Board officials were asked to detect all illegal connections existing in their respective jurisdiction and to lodge complaints with the police for launching prosecution against the culprits to punish them suitably and disconnect all illegal connections.