G20 aftermath: Fountain nozzles worth Rs 10 lakh stolen from outside Bharat Mandapam

Since the conclusion of G20 Summit, nozzles worth more than Rs 10 lakh have been stolen from fountains newly installed outside Bharat Mandapam and at the Delhi Gate, officials said on Tuesday. The matter came to light when the agency tasked with their maintenance 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. “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,” a PWD official said. Asked whether the CCTV cameras installed in the areas captured any suspicious movement, he said that the cameras installed by the agency cover only the 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 person said. He said while the PWD replaced the stolen nozzles with plastic ones at Delhi Gate, the ones outside Bharat Mandapam can only be fitted with stainless steel ones since they are large fountains. Even earlier, the department had filed police complaints about thefts of wires, nozzles, and other fixtures. The department has deployed security guards around important places to ensure security of the assets created during the summit. “However, it is not possible … to ensure that they are not stolen since they are only a handful in number. Also, it is not possible for the department to deploy security guards everywhere,” said the PWD official. Last month, Delhi PWD minister Atishi had said an agency will be hired for the safekeeping of these assets.