The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Pipeline burst: SP suspects sabotage

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 30, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Pipeline burst: SP suspects sabotage

By Our Staff Reporter

SANGAREDDY, OCT. 29. The Medak Superintendent of Police, Devender Singh Chouhan, who visited the site of the Manjeera pipeline leakage, said that sabotage aimed at disrupting water supply could not be ruled out. However, he said that it does not require a bomb to cause a 5 cm diameter hole in the pipe. He said that the miscreants could have used a hand-held mechanical hammer.

The SP who also spoke with the chief engineer of the Metro water works department at the site, pointed out that the sabotage angle had to be probed as the press is said have received a phone call from the little known Telangana Jala Sadhana Samithi and the police found a piece of wire that could have been used to cause the blast.

Joint patrolling

"Whoever has done it, it is a mean act," Mr Chouhan said. He pointed out that never before was a water source attacked by a group in Medak district. He wanted people in the vicinity to be vigilant and inform any unusual activity near the pipeline to the district police. The police, along with the Water Works Department, would also hold joint patrolling of the 30-km long line hereafter, he announced. He said that the police would trace the culprits and see that they are punished.

Meanwhile, Ankamma Rao, a security guard at the nearby Ankit packaging company, heard a big blast around 8.30 pm on Friday night. "The bang was so loud that we thought the roof is collapsing.

As we live near the National Highway such sounds are common and we attributed it to a tyre burst of a moving truck. We came to know about the pipeline blast after television reporters enquired with us about the sound," he said.

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