Overview
- Collector Kaushalendra Vikram Singh issued the order on Friday with immediate effect under the state’s Drinking Water Conservation Act, 1986 (as amended).
- Private drilling and boring rigs cannot operate in the district, and SDMs and police are empowered to seize machines and file FIRs.
- Entry of drilling machines now requires written permission from the SDM, with an exemption for rigs merely transiting on highways to other districts.
- Violations can draw up to two years’ imprisonment, a Rs 2,000 fine, or both.
- Government water-supply works by the Public Health Engineering Department are exempt, and authorities may requisition private tubewells for public use or allow limited drilling only in extreme cases after field checks.