Police books five for ransacking water department office

The police booked five irate consumers who stormed the local office of the Water Supply and Sanitation Department of Maharashtra (Jeevan Pradhikaran) here on Tuesday afternoon and ransacked it, sources said.
"If the attitude of officials does not change, we shall take the law into our hands for which the department alone should be held responsible," cautioned Yogesh Chapke and Vishal Bawane who were among the five booked by the police.
The incident took place after district collector Ashwin Mudgal assured agitated consumers of Samata Nagar, Sharada Nagar as well as Tukdoji Nagar that their demands would be looked into and called up Jeevan Pradhikaran's executive engineer to instruct him, sources said.

The collector took the step after agitated consumers called on him and briefed him about the wayward ways of Jeevan Pradhikaran officials, requesting him to take immediate measures to ensure adequate drinking water supply to city residents, sources said.
Sources said that Jeevan Pradhikaran officials routinely ignored genuine grievances raised from time to time by the public and invented ways to harass them by releasing water at low pressure due to which residents in remote areas found it difficult to get adequate drinking water for days together.
On Monday, residents of a locality thronged the Jeevan Pradhikaran office and requested officials to increase the pressure of pumping water, but after officers gave evasive answers, the mob poured ink on the face and body of the executive engineer and deputy engineer inside their offices.

It may be noted that Yavatmal district received 150 per cent of the average rain fall and it was also publicly admitted by Jeevan Pradhikaran officials.