Indore water deaths: Civic body officials, councillors lock horns over accountability

INDORE: Whose dirty water is it? Four days after a diarrhoea outbreak in Bhagirathpura area of Indore left 10 people dead, elected representatives and officials of Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) were at loggerheads fixing responsibility even as criticism mounted over serious lapses in the BJP-led civic body that led to the tragedy.

While a number of corporators, and the city mayor, alleged that people's complaints and instructions issued by them were often ignored by officials, the latter said coordination between the two was never an issue.




Sources said battle lines were drawn during a high-level meeting chaired by additional chief secretary Sanjay Dubey, in charge of urban development, in Indore on Thursday. BJP corporators grew more vociferous on Friday when chief minister Mohan Yadav intervened and the state govt removed IMC commissioner Dileep Kumar Yadav and suspended additional commissioner Rohit Sisoniya.

"Instructions issued on various works related to water and sewerage were not followed properly. Action should be taken against those responsible," mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava told media Friday.

Sources said resentment was visible at Thursday's closed-door meeting when BJP corporator Abhishek Sharma, in charge of water works, and former MLA Mahendra Hardia also alleged apathy by civic officials.

On Friday, corporator of ward number 11 Kamal Waghela said, "Officers do not carry out our work quickly. It's been almost a week since the contamination began yet the reason for this has not been ascertained conclusively."

IMC commissioner Dileep Kumar Yadav (who was removed from his post) earlier denied any possibility of negligence or red tape. "We have no issue with coordinating with elected representatives. All meetings, including the mayor-in-council meetings, are held properly and coordination is ensured. It could be some slack at the lower level. We will ascertain this and sensitise all staff," Yadav told TOI.
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