Drill a borewell without approval? FIR will be filed, says BWSSB

Water Board takes strict action against unauthorised borewell drilling; landowners and drilling machine owner booked

In a strong warning against illegal groundwater extraction, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has initiated legal action against those involved in unauthorised borewell drilling in Whitefield. The civic body has made it clear that drilling borewells without official permission will lead to criminal cases.

According to BWSSB officials, FIRs have been registered at the Whitefield Police Station following the detection of illegal borewell activity at two separate locations. The borewells were allegedly drilled without obtaining approval from any concerned government department, in clear violation of existing rules.

Complaints have been filed against Whitefield residents KalaiVani and Pradeep Choudhary, who are accused of allowing borewell drilling on their properties without mandatory permissions. In addition, an FIR has also been registered against Bhaskar, the owner of the borewell drilling machine, for carrying out the work without authorisation.

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Officials stated that the accused were reportedly drilling borewells by bypassing departmental oversight. Acting on specific information, BWSSB officers conducted a raid at the locations and confirmed the violations. Following this, formal complaints were lodged against the landowners at the local police station.

The BWSSB reiterated that groundwater is a critical public resource and illegal extraction will not be tolerated. The board has warned that strict action, including FIRs, will continue against anyone found drilling borewells without due approvals.