Chandigarh heritage manhole covers stolen, value is said to be Rs 15 lakh

Chandigarh: In Sector 38A, attempts have been made to steal the lid of the heritage manhole. However, due to its high weight, it has not been possible for the thief to succeed, resulting in the thief retreating.

Local residents have also informed the local beat in-charge and the relevant SDO of the municipal corporation about this theft incident. Unfortunately, the matter was not taken seriously. The following day, at around 4:30 in the morning, the thief returned with another accomplice and successfully stole the lid of the heritage manhole.

The locals said that had the SDO of the Municipal Corporation and the beat in-charge of Sector 38A taken this theft case seriously in time, perhaps the thieves would have been apprehended by the police, and the theft of the heritage manhole lid could have been prevented. The theft incident was captured on CCTV cameras.

It is noteworthy that these heritage lids are valued in lakhs of rupees in the international market, with each lid weighing between 60 to 77 kg. These lids have been auctioned for millions of rupees in London and Paris.

It is worth mentioning that the theft of these heritage lids, worth lakhs of rupees, may be linked to a larger gang involved in stealing the city’s heritage goods. A heritage manhole lid abroad costs approximately 15 lakh rupees, and the entire map of Chandigarh is based on these heritage lids.

The two lines running from the middle to the right in the upper part of the lid represent the rainy river that feeds Sukhna Lake, while the triangle formed at the end of these lines symbolizes Sukhna Lake. Some sectors of the city are designed based on this pattern.