MP contaminated water tragedy: CM Yadav suspends two Indore civic officials, transfers commissioner

Bhopal, Jan 2 (IANS) Hours after issuing show cause notices, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of two senior Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) officials and the transfer of the Municipal Commissioner in connection with the contaminated water tragedy in the Bhagirathpura area that has claimed several lives.

Additional Commissioner Rohit Sisonia and in-charge Superintendent Engineer of the Public Health Department, Sanjeev Srivastava, have been suspended with immediate effect. Indore Municipal Commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav has been transferred, officials said.

Taking to social media platform X, Chief Minister Yadav stated, “The state government will not tolerate negligence in the incident that occurred in Bhagirathpura in Indore due to contaminated drinking water. Strict actions are being taken in the matter.”

The decisive action followed a high-level meeting chaired by CM Yadav at his official residence in Bhopal on Thursday, during which show cause notices were issued to the concerned civic officials.

The tragedy in Indore’s Bhagirathpura locality, where residents consumed contaminated drinking water leading to multiple deaths and illnesses, has triggered widespread outrage and criticism, including from within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Senior BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti expressed strong anguish over the incident, describing it as a “shame” and “disgrace” for the entire state administration.

In a series of posts on X, Bharti highlighted the irony, stating, “Indore has received awards for being the cleanest city in the country, such ugliness, filth and poisonous water that has swelled so many lives and death toll continues to rise every day.”

Without naming anyone, the veteran leader further criticised the handling of the crisis, saying, “Who is saying that our plan didn’t work in Indore? And when you are not able to do anything, then why are you sitting and drinking Bisleri bottles? There is no explanation for such a sin.”

Uncertainty persists over the exact death toll due to the contaminated water supply in Bhagirathpura, with differing figures being cited by the state administration and Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav, adding to the controversy surrounding the incident.

The suspensions and transfer mark the government’s attempt to address public anger and demonstrate accountability amid mounting pressure for stringent action against those responsible for the civic lapse.

pd/dan