Cong alleges civic bias in Indore’s ‘Gandhi’ colonies

Indore: Two days after the clash and alleged stone-pelting over the ‘shirtless protest' at the venue to showcase the country's AI aspirations and potential to the world, the escalation in political rivalry between the Congress and the governing BJP took a sharp territorial turn in Indore on Monday. This, after the Congress staged a protest at the Bilawali Zone 13 office, alleging "deliberate negligence" by the BJP-led Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) in providing basic amenities to Sonia Gandhi Nagar and Rahul Gandhi Nagar.Bringing the charge of "identity-based harassment" against the city civic body, Congress workers, led by the party's city president and leader of opposition in the IMC, Chintu Choukse, surrounded the zonal office, raising slogans against the corporation. The protest came on the heels of an earlier wave of demonstrations against the civic board over the deaths linked to sewage contamination of groundwater in Bhagirathpura.In an explosive allegation, Choukse claimed that the BJP had taken its political bitterness and rivalry to residents of colonies named after senior Congress leaders. "The BJP's hatred is no longer limited to the party; they are now targeting innocent citizens," Choukse said, alleging that in Sonia Gandhi Nagar, drinking water pipelines were laid inside open drains, while the streets of Rahul Gandhi Nagar are perpetually submerged in sewage.However, Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava dismissed the allegations as "baseless and politically motivated", saying, "The Congress is mentally bankrupt." He countered the ‘bias' charge citing the relocation of residents of CP Shekhar Nagar, named after a Congress veteran, to modern PMAY flats. "The IMC serves every citizen without bias, regardless of his or her political leaning. We have identified sites for all necessary water and sewage projects across the city under AMRUT 2.0, and work will commence shortly," the Mayor said.Undeterred by the Mayor's dismissive response to their charges, the Congress issued an ultimatum to the IMC: fix the pipelines and sewage systems in the ‘Gandhi' colonies immediately, or face a larger, citywide agitation. Meanwhile, with the blame game heating up, residents of wards 74-78, which are within the ambit of the colonies in question, are spending anxious days awaiting a permanent solution to their daily civic nightmare.The Congress protesters also raised alleged civic failures in neighbouring areas as well, including "overflowing sewage" on Bhim Nagar roads and "garbage pile-up" in Martand Nagar. They also alleged stalled road and chamber construction in Bhavna Nagar, broken chambers in Limbodi, and non-functional streetlights in various pockets, posing security risks for residents.