Indore water tragedy: Death toll climbs to 8; action against three officials

Indore, Dec 31 The death toll in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, where a large number of people fell ill over the last few days, allegedly after drinking contaminated water in the Bhagirathpura area of the city, has risen to eight.

Taking cognisance of the incident, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has ordered the suspension of two municipal officials, and one public health engineer has been removed from service.

The action came late at night on Tuesday.

"Bhagirathpura incident in Indore is tragic. Zonal officer Saligram Sitole and Assistant Engineer Yogesh Joshi were suspended. Superintendent Engineer of PHE Shubham Srivastava has been removed from his service with immediate effect," CM Yadav said in a statement late at night.

Earlier, the Chief Minister expressed profound grief over the incident via social media, paying tributes to the deceased and wishing a speedy recovery to those under treatment. He announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to the bereaved family and assured that the state government would fully cover medical expenses for all patients, including refunds for prior payments.

Three people died during treatment in different hospitals till Tuesday. However, the number of casualties increased to eight on Wednesday, according to an official.

Local MLA and Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya visited hospitals late Monday, consoling affected families and reinforcing the commitment to free treatment.

The outbreak, which began after residents reported unusual taste and smell in municipal water supplied on December 25, has raised serious concerns about the safety of drinking water in the city.

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari, who visited some hospitals on Tuesday evening, has blamed Indore Municipal Commissioner for the tragic incident and demanded action against those responsible.

Indore district Congress unit is likely to lodge an FIR against Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Mayor Pushyamitara Bhargava later in the day. Jitu Patwari on Tuesday said that he will ask the district Congress president to file an FIR at a police station.

"This is a complete failure of the Municipal Corporation. If drainage water mixes with drinking water pipelines, people can suffer from vomiting, diarrhoea, and jaundice, but they do not die from it. It appears that some kind of poisonous substance had mixed into the drinking water pipeline, and this needs to be investigated," Patwari said on Tuesday evening.

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