Indiscriminate drilling of borewells in Malkajgiri

Three illegal borewell drilling cases were stopped by the Malkajgiri Mandal Revenue Office in the last two weeks, all thanks to the alert locals who tipped-off the MRO. According to estimates there are about 100 illegal borewells being drilled in the Malkajgiri division. The permissible 4.5 inches is never followed and in most cases people drill six inches. Srinivas, Malkajgiri MRO, said that the onus also lies on the citizens.

“People should report cases of illegal borewell drilling so that we can take action. In spite of neighbours knowing about illegal drilling, they turn a blind eye,” he said. Borewell drilling without valid permissions and challan from the MRO is rampant in Alwal, Bolaram, Yapral and Malkajgiri circles. Yashwant Naidu, a resident of Anandbagh, says, “People just go ahead without obtaining permission which is actually not hard to get. It takes a week to get permission.

There are at least a couple of illegal borewell drilling cases in each colony in Malkajgiri. Local politicians too back these people.”If illegal drilling of borewells is an offence, not adhering to the time restrictions is another problem. Drilling is allowed only between 1800 hrs to 1000 hrs but hardly anyone follows the rule. Sweta, a resident of Tukaram Gate, says, “People just do not care and keep drilling through the day and night. Even complaining to the local police does not help.”