Thefts rise in flood-hit Gopal Colony

Patiala, July 15

Incidents of theft have increased at Gopal Colony, which was recently ravaged by floods.

Colony residents said they were not in a position to stay at their houses and should rather put up at camps organised by the district administration, but they were unable to do so in view of thefts.

They said walls of various houses had developed cracks. “The floodwater has not been removed from the area completely till now. Beds and mattresses are full of silt and electronic items have become useless. We have to stay back so as to save whatever is left at our houses,” a resident said.

Babli, a resident of the area, said someone stole a few items from his house on Friday itself while some electronic items were found missing when they first returned from camp three days ago. “We had kept some items on the first floor of the house to keep them safe, but they were stolen,” he said.

Dimple, another resident, said people were fighting among themselves for relief material being distributed in the area. “A team had to return without distributing relief material today. The administration should ensure the presence of government officials for a smooth process,” he said.

Residents said the district administration should clean up the area and spray larvicide.