Maharashtra bolsters security around dams after police arrest ‘Pak spy’

Interrogation of suspected Mazgaon-based ISI mole Javed Mozawala has revealed that the Pakistani intelligence agency has most major dams and reservoirs in the state on its hit list.

The presence of detailed photographs from various angles, maps of water bodies, back waters and approach routes, and the details of villages around has led to the alarm.

The government has in a communique asked director general of police D Sivanandhan, state intelligence department chief KL Prasad, ATS chief Rakesh Maria and other top officials to put checks in place and ensure enough security is provided.

The police have begun nakabandis at all approach roads to dams and increased police surveillance. They have also begun approaching villages along the back waters, asking locals to alert them if they find anything suspicious.

“Given the magnitude of the targets, the police finds itself ill equipped to deal with the challenge,” said a home ministry official. He said senior officials have asked for augmentation of funds to improve the network of informers.

The government has underlined its concerns over the six reservoirs which supply water to Mumbai. Bhatsa, Vaitrana, Modak Sagar and Tansa are the most vulnerable, because they are located in rural Thane and the back waters are in remote, sparsely populated interiors.

“In times when the enemy has proven how tech-savvy it can be, we have to work doubly hard to pre-empt his move,” said the official. “Chemical warfare can be potent with minimum risk to the perpetrator.”

BMC standing committee chief Rahul Shewale said, “We already have sensors in place to alert as soon as any contamination is detected,” he assured. Thane (rural) police also assured that security arrangements were in place but DNA has found ground realities telling another story.

Whether in the case of the Barvi, Vaitarna, Tansa, Bhatsa or Kavadsa dams, there is little to inspire confidence apart from a posse of four to five constables armed with World War II era .303 rifles. “Most of them are posted at the dam wall or the security gate. But the back waters go far,” admitted a senior irrigation department bureaucrat.

Satara deputy SP Sadanand Vaidya Patil said more armed guards had been placed along Koyna dam’s periphery. “We have posted plainclothes security in the villages around to gather intelligence in the event of any suspicious activity,” he told DNA.