The Director, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), has sought the approval of the government to inquire into the ‘mystery’ behind the frequent pipe-bursts in the State capital in the wake of a directive of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission.
The Director, in a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary, Vigilance, said inquiry should be carried out into the irregularities being committed by the officials in connection with the frequent pipe-bursts.
The decision comes in the wake of the notice by SHRC chairman J.B. Koshy to the VACB to inquire into the pipe-bursts. The SHRC had recently registered a suo motu case on the basis of newspaper reports on pipe-bursts.
The SHRC’s move came at a time when doubts were being raised about the possibility of a deliberate attempt behind the pipe-bursts, particularly the four simultaneous bursts on the 1,200-mm pre-stressed concrete transmission mainline from Aruvikkara to the Observatory Hills on February 25.
From February 16, pipelines in the city have had nearly 10 bursts, starting from one on the 1,200-mm PSC pipe from Aruvikkara on February 16 near the Kummi pump-house, which cut off water supply to a major portion of the city for over 24 hours. The four-point burst on this pipe near Peroorkada on February 25, the eve of the Attukal Pongala festival, threw water supply into disarray for two days. In the last one year, over 20 pipe-bursts have taken place in the capital.
