Nozzles worth lakhs of rupees have been stolen from the fountains which were installed outside Bharat Mandapam and the Delhi Gate for the G20 Summit. After the conclusion of the Summit, the agency appointed for the maintenance of the fountains noticed the theft and filed a police complaint.
According to officials of the Public Works Department, the stainless steel nozzles are priced at Rs 4,000 each. A number of fountains were installed across the central Delhi area in the run-up to the G20 Summit.
A PWD official reportedly said, “Twenty-four nozzles have been stolen from fountains outside the Bharat Mandapam while 12 nozzles from the fountain at Delhi Gate. The theft happened after the culmination of the G20 Summit.”
When asked whether the CCTV cameras installed in the areas captured any suspicious movement, the official said that the cameras installed by the agency cover only Gates 6 and 7 of Bharat Mandapam.
“There are also cameras installed by the Delhi Police but we do not know whether they are functional. The nozzles are expensive and we are trying to find alternatives to them,” the official said.
He added that while the PWD replaced the stolen nozzles with plastic ones at the Delhi Gate, the nozzles outside Bharat Mandapam could only be fitted with stainless steel because of the large size of the fountains.
Mere 10-15 days after the G20 Summit concluded, incidents of thefts and damage to items installed around Bharat Mandapam reportedly increased. The police said they have received several complaints of missing flower pots, rubber nozzles, wires, and broken lights in the national capital.
In February too, months ahead of the G20 Summit, a video went viral showing a VIP resident from Gurgaon stealing several flower pots and carrying them in his high-end vehicle.
