Srinagar, May 21: Believe it or not, waterlogged streets do cause inconvenience to inhabitants, but the waters could serve a blessing in disguise for burglars. This is the notion doing rounds in the south City area of Gulberg Colony, Hyderpora where around a dozen houses have fallen prey to burglary in the past few days while most of the streets continue to be knee-deep waters. Interestingly, police endorses the public view.
 The residents of “theft prone” Gulberg Colony link the crime with persistent waterlogging there. With colony roads inundated in knee-deep waters, the residents said the streets remain deserted most of the times and neighbours hardly find it convenient to meet each other.
 “We only venture out of homes, that too often in cars, when it’s inevitable like at the time of going to offices and schools,” said a delegation of locals while pointing towards the inundated streets.
 The locals believe that deserted streets were facilitating the thefts in the area.
 “Burglars could be finding it convenient to target the houses here as nobody from outside has an eye on them,” the residents said.
 Interestingly, recently, when the family of medico filed theft report with the Police Station Sadder on Wednesday, they cautioned the cops to visit the Sector 3 area wearing gumboots.
 Finally the cops had to do the same or else they would have to remove shoes and roll up their trousers.
 Even though on Tuesday, the MOS Housing and Urban Development said that all low lying areas in the Hyderpora Bypass belt would be provided dewatering pumps, no such respite has reached the Gulberg Colony spanning over two odd square kilometres.
 Leave apart any dewatering initiative, even the conventional sandbag track has not been provided, the locals said.
 When contacted the City police Chief Javed Reyaz Bedar who is personally monitoring the theft cases agreed the waterlogging could be facilitating the thefts.
 “Surely this lies within the limits of possibility because waterlogged street remains deserted and such a situation… can be cashed by the anti-social elements particularly the burglars,” the SSP told Greater Kashmir.
 On the thefts, the official said, the police was on the job to nab the culprits.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 21 May 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 21 May 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 22 May 2010 00:00:00 IST