SPOT INSPECTION: Mayor K. Ashraf (second from right), city corporation Commissioner P. Chandrappa, Executive Engineer Suresh Babu, and the former Mayor M. Shashidhar Hedge looking at the pipeline from which water was diverted illegally, in Mangalore on Friday.

MANGALORE: Mayor K. Ashraf and some corporators have unearthed the biggest water theft in the history of Mangalore City Corporation. The 18 MGD pipeline from Thumbe to Mangalore has been tampered with and 1.5 MGD diverted towards Maripalla, at least 20 km from the city.

Addressing presspersons here on Friday, Mr. Ashraf said that he along with some corporators were perplexed over the acute shortage of water in the city despite regulating supply in the past two months. Despite running the high-lift pump for 24 hours, the city was facing water shortage.

When the matter was followed up last month, it became clear that water is being diverted from the Thumbe 18 MGD pipeline towards Maripalla and three villages, he added.

Mr. Ashraf said water is being tapped with the help of a five-inch pipeline and distributed to various segments without the notice of the corporation.

He said the officials who knew about this diversion did not bring it to the notice of the corporation council and he suspected the involvement of a valve-man and an assistant engineer. He did not reveal their names as an inquiry is on into water theft. The former Mayor M. Shashidhar Hegde, who had accompanied the "search team," said Maripalla, Sujeer, Adyar and Thumbe have been provided water from 2 MGD pipeline from the Thumbe pumping station as these villages faced water shortage. But the 18 MGD pipeline is dedicated for supplying water to Mangalore on which no gram panchayat or other civic bodies have any right.

He said Maripalla and three other villages have even constructed overhead tanks which receive water from the 2 MGD pipeline which should be sufficient for them.

When asked about the action to be taken, Mr. Ashraf said there is pressure on him not to take any action. He will take steps to prevent diversion of water and bring to book those involved in water theft. He said that he will conduct an inquiry into illegal water connections in the city. The drive against water theft and illegal connections will continue. The next stage of the drive will be collecting commercial water charges from organisations that are paying domestic rates, he added.

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