Indore Contaminated Water Report Leaked: Officials Blamed, Politicians Get Clean Chit

A leaked investigation report into the contaminated drinking water crisis in Bhagirathpura, Indore, has reportedly held several municipal officials responsible for negligence while giving a clean chit to public representatives and the Municipal Corporation Council.

The 150-page report was prepared by the Justice Sushil Gupta Committee, which was constituted on the directions of the High Court. Although the court had ordered the report to remain confidential, some of its findings have reportedly emerged.

According to the leaked details, 24 of the 36 reported deaths were confirmed to have been caused by contaminated water. The committee reportedly concluded that official negligence allowed contaminated water to continue reaching residents, resulting in the deaths.

Officials Blamed For Negligence

The committee reportedly found that officials were aware that the Narmada water pipeline supplying Bhagirathpura was old and leaking. Despite knowledge of the problem, the proposal to replace the pipeline was allegedly delayed.

Sources cited by Jagran.com said the committee held Narmada Project Executive Engineer Sanjeev Srivastava directly responsible for negligence. The report reportedly noted that Srivastava had been associated with the department for a considerable period and was aware of the condition of the pipeline.

Several IAS officers who served in the Indore Municipal Corporation have also reportedly been named for alleged negligence. These include Additional Commissioners Rohit Sisonia, Sandeep Soni, Saroj Prajapati and Pragya Tiwari, along with former Municipal Commissioner Ashish Singh.

However, former Municipal Commissioners Shivam Verma, Pratibha Pal and Dilip Yadav, as well as Additional Commissioner Abhilash Mishra, have reportedly been cleared of responsibility.

Politicians, Civic Council Get Clean Chit

According to the leaked findings, the investigation committee did not hold public representatives or the Municipal Corporation Council responsible for the tragedy.

The report reportedly observed that replacing the ageing pipeline earlier could have prevented the continued supply of contaminated water and potentially avoided the scale of the tragedy.

The first death linked to the contaminated water in Bhagirathpura was reported on December 21 last year. The incident subsequently claimed more lives and triggered concerns over the safety of the city’s drinking water infrastructure.

Rs 20 Lakh Compensation Recommended

The committee reportedly recommended Rs 20 lakh compensation for the families of each person whose death was confirmed to have resulted from contaminated water.

It also recommended Rs 5 lakh compensation for people affected by the contaminated water supply.

Of the 36 deaths examined by the committee, 24 were reportedly confirmed as being caused by contaminated water. The cause of the remaining 12 deaths could not be established with certainty, as other health complications may also have been involved.

The findings have emerged despite the report being under confidentiality orders, and the complete document has not been made public.