IPH Dept’s steel pipes worth Rs 15 lakh stolen from Baijnath village

Palampur, January 3

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Galvanised steel pipes of four-inch diameter worth Rs 15 lakh have been stolen from Mehjarana village in Baijnath tehsil of Kangra district. The Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department had kept the pipes for installation in an under-construction water supply scheme in the village.

Rahul Dhiman, Executive Engineer, IPH Division, Baijnath, said that the pipes were in the custody of the contractor, who is executing the project. Two days ago, when he visited the construction site, he found a large number of pipes missing. He immediately reported the matter to the IPH Department. Later, an FIR was lodged at Baijnath police station on his complaint.

Dhiman said over half a truckload of pipes were stolen and it was not possible to lift these easily. He added that it seemed that pipes were loaded in a truck at night and transported to some other place. The pipes carried the logo of the manufacturing company and the IPH Department.

A police official said that the matter was being investigated and the culprits were likely to be arrested soon. In many areas of Palampur, Baijnath and Jaisinghpur, a number of pipes could be seen stacked on roadside by the authorities concerned for carrying out development works.