Delhi BJP urges police to register FIR, form special team to probe water theft

NEW DELHI: On Wednesday, a delegation of BJP leaders, including Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and North West Delhi MP Yogendra Chandolia, met with Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora at the Delhi Police headquarters. They submitted a complaint requesting the registration of an FIR and the formation of a special investigation team to probe the alleged theft of water from the Munak Canal and other sources by the tanker mafia.
"You are further requested to form a special investigation team to conduct a thorough probe to ensure action against the tanker mafia for theft of water from the Munak canal and any government official conniving with them," said the complaint addressed to the Delhi police chief.
The party urged the police to take action against the tanker mafia, claiming that their operations were depriving the people of Delhi of their water rights.
As Delhi faces one of its worst water crises in recent years amidst an unprecedented summer heat wave, the ruling AAP and BJP have engaged in a blame game. Delhi water minister Atishi has accused the BJP-ruled Haryana of deliberately halting the supply of water to the national capital through the Yamuna river. In contrast, BJP leaders have alleged that the AAP government and its MLAs are colluding with the tanker mafia while people struggle for water.
In a related development, the Supreme Court strongly criticized the Delhi government on Wednesday over the prevalence of tanker mafia and water wastage in the city.
A vacation bench of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Prasanna B Varale told the Delhi government that if it can't deal with the tanker mafia, it will ask the Delhi Police to take action in the matter.
The Supreme Court is currently hearing a plea filed by the Delhi government seeking a direction to Haryana to release the surplus water provided by Himachal Pradesh to the national capital to mitigate its water crisis.