Upset over transfer, civic engineer shuts Vadodara locality’s water supply; residents suffer 3-day crisis

VADODARA: Residents of Navayard locality in Gujarat's Vadodara are no strangers to water shortages. So, when taps went dry on Aug 23, few suspected anything unusual.

But the three-day disruption was not due to a pipeline burst or leakage - it was the handiwork of a civic engineer.

Deputy executive engineer Yogesh Vasava, upset over his transfer from the water supply dept to road dept's hotmix plant, allegedly turned off an underground valve to retaliate.

According to the complaint filed by his successor DEE Aalok Shah, Vasava wanted to create trouble for him and vent his anger.

As residents queued up at tankers and handpumps, officials struggled to trace the cause.

It was only after veteran staffers recalled a valve installed last year that the mystery was solved.

On digging up the site, officials found it deliberately shut.