7,500 m of power cable stolen from irrigation project site in Chimur taluka

About 7,500 metres of aluminium power cable belonging to an irrigation project has been stolen in Chimur taluka of Chandrapur district. The theft took place between Kanhalgaon and Mahalgaon. The complaint puts the approximate value of the stolen cable at about Rs 90,000.

The theft is suspected to have occurred between midnight on November 3 and the morning of November 4. A case has been registered at Chimur police station against unidentified thieves under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The incident has caused alarm in the area.

The complaint was given in writing by Rajesh Bhagwan Pathak (49). He lives in Maroti Nagar, Dattawadi, Nagpur, and is currently a manager with Hyderabad-based Sivet Project Pvt Ltd at Mahalgaon in Chimur taluka. The company is laying pipelines to carry water to farmers' fields on behalf of the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation.

As part of this work, a power connection was being provided from a substation to the pump house at the balancing tank in Mahalgaon. The cable stolen belongs to this power line.

According to the complaint, the thieves took advantage of the darkness of night. They climbed the electricity poles, cut the cable and took it away. The stolen cable is 11 kVA AAA-C cable, 7,500 metres long.

Pathak was on patrol between Kanhalgaon and Mahalgaon at about 4 am on November 4. He then saw that the aluminium cable between poles numbered 13 and 45, 61 and 75, and 116 and 128 had been cut and was missing. He immediately informed a senior company official, Sagar Achpal. A search was made in the area for the thieves and the cable, but no trace of either was found.

Sub-inspector Balaji Govindrao Chavan is investigating the case further. Police are searching for the unidentified thieves. No arrest has been reported so far. The theft of material from a government irrigation project has affected development work under way in the area.