After 12 years, Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) achieved success in its crackdown on illegal water supply network run by powerful water mafia in Pandesara. The crackdown followed a series of reports by TOI highlighting the nexus between water kings and textile and chemical units in illegally extracting water from ground and canal. 

A team of civic officers on February 9 raided a few spots in Pandesara, Bhestan and Bhedwad and unearthed a huge network of underground pipelines to draw water meant for irrigation purpose and over six borewells. About 11 underground networks of pipelines were dug out by the civic staff from the spots near the canal in Pandesara, Bhestan and Bhedwad. Besides, the private suppliers used to extract water from borewells and supply it to the textile processing and chemical units in Pandesara GIDC. 

Even after catching water mafia red-handed, the SMC doesn't seem keen to take any action against them. The callous attitude of the civic authorities in the matter can be gauged from the fact that the names of the culprits involved in extracting water illegally from the ground and canal are yet to be disclosed and that no police complaint has been filed, Congress leaders said. 

The civic authorities are yet to take action against the water mafia under the damage to the public property Act for damaging the road network in Pandesara for laying illegal pipelines to supply water, they said. 

"I have written to the municipal commissioner asking her to initiate criminal action and also take steps under the BPMC Act against the water mafia," said PVS Sharma, chairman of SMC's water committee. 

Bhupendra Solanki, senior Congress corporator and member of the standing committee, said, "Certain civic officials and some ruling BJP leaders have vested interest. We have demanded that criminal action be taken against those who have been caught red-handed with the illegal water supply network. They (civic authorities) are not even disclosing the names of the water mafia, forget about taking any action."