The UP government says Bundelkhand is facing a water crisis but it does not require Centre's assistance.
Highlights
- 55-year-old farmer in Mahoba has been arrested for stealing water.
- Cops say he damaged valve of a dam and directed water towards his land.
- The farmer's family claims that the valve was already broken.
Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand is facing a drought for third year in a row. Now, a farmer has been arrested for stealing water.
The police said 55-year-old HiraLal Yadav damaged a valve of the Urmil Dam and directed water towards his farmland using a small canal.
"Hiralal damaged a valve of a water pipeline and stored water in a pit, using it for agriculture. This complaint was filed by Joint engineer of Mahoba Jal Sansthan and so we have booked him user section 430, 353 and damaging government property," said Gaurav Singh, Superintendent of Police of Mahoba.
The farmer's family claims that the valve was already broken and Hiralal is being falsely implicated.
"The allegations are false. The day the pipeline was set up since then it has been leaking. The government is covering its drawbacks and has arrested my husband," said Hiralal's wife Munni Devi.
The UP government has said that while Bundelkhand is facing a water crisis, it does not require Centre's assistance. On the contrary, its officials in Mahoba are worried about the fast depleting water.
SK Verma Assistant Engineer, Mahoba Jal Sansthaan said, "We are drawing water from the ground. Hopefully we will have water till June 20. It's a natural calamity and this is what we can manage."