Punjab Water Resources Department has registered 191 water theft cases in the current paddy season during past three weeks. Around 118 cases of water theft were registered in Ferozepur Canal Circle only.
Monitoring of the canals would continue to stop any water thefts and anyone found guilty would not be spared, said the state Water Resources Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria on Thursday.
Sarkaria directed the officials of the Department to take stern action against the culprits saying that any dereliction of duty would not be tolerated.
He assured the farmers of sufficient canal water supply for paddy and other Kharif crops. At the same time, he appealed to the farmers to decrease the dependence on ground water and cultivate crops that mature early and need less water.