Now, water tanks to be locked, fenced

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 24

Waking up to the danger that unguarded water storage tanks could be used for heinous crimes, the Shimla Municipal Corporation has started putting all its 41 water storage tanks under lock and keys.

Mayor Sanjay Chauhan and Deputy Commissioner Rohan Chand Thakur today asked the Municipal Commissioner to fix responsibility for the cleaning of 12-lakh litre capacity Keleston water tank from where the CID recovered the skeletal remains of the missing four-year-old Yug on Monday and submit a report within 15 days.

The SMC has deputed a security guard at its 13-MLD capacity water tank at Sanjauli, the largest storage tank in the city. However, 40 other storage and distribution tanks, whose capacity ranges from 5 lakh litre to 25 lakh litre, have no provision of locking and can be misused, insiders said.

“I have asked the Municipal Commissioner to order an inquiry into the cleaning of the Keleston water tank and fix the responsibility as to who was involved in the cleaning and submit a report within 15 days,” the DC said. “If the cleaning of water tanks is done periodically, the MC must find out when, how and who has done it,” he added.

The Mayor said it was a serious failure of law and order machinery in this case as Jug’s father went from pillar to post asking the police and the government to find out his missing son for the last two years.

Chauhan said it was not the time to indulge in a blame game and the authorities should collectively act to prevent such heinous crimes from taking place in a peaceful city like Shimla.

“We have not received the forensic report in the case that the skeleton was found in the MC tank. But I have asked the Municipal Commissioner to submit a fact-finding report in cleaning of water tanks within 15 days,” he added.

Chauhan said the SMC House had decided to fence all water storage tanks and put them under lock and keys. “The cleaning of storage tanks is done periodically twice a year and water samples are tested regularly as per norms after the jaundice outbreak in the city,” he added.

SMC Commissioner Pankaj Rai said Shimla had become the first city in the state to start locking all 41 storage tanks. “We will fence the tanks as well,” he added.

All the storage tanks, including Kasumpti water tank, which were earlier with the Irrigation and Public Health Department, have been transferred to the SMC from July 15 after the government constituted the Shimla water authority under the MC.