JAYANAGAR:The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) will initiate criminal proceedings against the owners of a hotel in Jayanagar for theft of water by tampering the meter.
The accused are C P Shareefa and Mohammed Thaslim, the owners of Kabab Magic.
According to sources, a team of officials from the BWSSB office in JP Nagar 3rd Phase, after receiving a tip-off at 9 am on November 2, visited Kabab Magic on East End Main Road in Jayanagar 9th Block.
Upon verification, it was learnt that the accused reversed the readings of the meter (RR No 61753/S14-118) and committed the theft. Immediately, the water connection was disconnected and mahazar was made. Thereafter, the law officer of the BWSSB was told to file a criminal case against the accused under Section 108-A of the BWSSB Act 1964.
Accordingly, data about the time span during which the water was drawn illegally, the total amount of water and the penalty is being ascertained. A private complaint will be lodged against the accused before the trial court immediately, after getting the approval of the board, sources told Express.
Tip-off through WhatsApp
The incident came to light after the chairman of BWSSB got a text message through Whatsapp about the theft of water on November 2.
Huge loss
A BWSSB official, on condition of anonymity, told Express that theft of water has increased in the city and is causing severe loss to the board. Higher officials have been directed to intensify the drive to curb the activity.
Another hotel in trouble
The High Court recently refused to interfere in the action taken by the BWSSB against Nandini Deluxe Restaurant in RT Nagar. The restaurant
was asked to pay Rs 24,13,334 for drawing 48,34,390 litres of water illegally for almost eight years, from July 2006 to December 2014.