Bhopal, Feb 20 (IANS) The recent water contamination deaths incident in Indore’s Bhagirathpura took centre stage in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Friday on the fifth day of the budget session, sparking a fiery exchange between ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Opposition Congress members during an adjournment motion moved by the Congress members during the ongoing Budget session.
The Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar said that despite the matter being sub-judice and the usual practice of avoiding such discussions during budget debates, the chair allowed it with the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s consent, and the issue’s gravity and sentiments of the House.
State Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya termed the event “very serious and misfortunate, and a matter of concern for all of us”.
He admitted that resident complaints were lodged, tenders called but development work was delayed, prompting Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to form a committee that identified the guilty officials, leading to actions including the Bhopal Commissioner’s removal and suspensions.
Minister Vijayvargiya emphasised Indore’s stellar cleanliness record, saying, “Indore has transformed cleanliness into a culture, contributing foremost to the Swachh Bharat Mission.”
He described the area as akin to a “small version of Mumbai’s Dharavi”, where municipal access is challenging.
Recounting his response to the recent Bhopal water contamination deaths incident, Minister Vijayvargiya said that he was on his way to Mathura with his family when he was informed about the tragic incident, immediately returning to Indore on February 29 via a last-minute flight.
He coordinated with Indore Divisional Commissioner Sudam Khade, admitting 200-250 victims affected by the water contamination tragedy to private hospitals overnight despite initial reluctance, assuring payments, and distributing two tons of coconut water.
Minister Vijayvargiya said that despite swift efforts by the state government involving 150 social workers, doctors, and paramedics conducting house-to-house surveys, “22 people lost their lives” in the tragic water contamination incident.
He criticised the Opposition for politicising the tragic incident, noting that slogans like “zindabad-murdabad” at the site were “inappropriate” and led to bitterness.
Veteran Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in state Assembly, Umang Singhar, accused the state government of concealing the data regarding the water contamination incident, claiming media reports indicated 35 deaths.
LoP Singhar said, “The state government wants to hide the data.”
Invoking Article 21 of the Constitution, LoP Singhar stressed that clean water is as integral to the right to life, as per Supreme Court’s judgments, adding, “If we cannot discuss right to water and right to life, then what can we discuss?”
He revealed personal water audits in areas in Indore such as Khajrana, Rau, Budi Tekri, and others, finding “uncountable bacteria” in water samples, and cited a 2019 Pollution Control Board report where 59 of 60 water samples in the city failed, with no subsequent action.
LoP Singhar demanded IPC (Indian Penal Code) charges against accountable officials, asking why seniors government officials escaped via transfers while junior officials, often from marginalised communities, faced suspension.
He criticised the lack of transparency in the tragic incident, asking, “Why doesn’t the state government put every action plan and investigation report on the portal? The plan is for the public, not for Ministers, contractors, or commission agents.”
He referenced a BJP Councillor’s letter from February 29, 2024, warning of contaminated Narmada water lines after a child’s death, and warned of similar risks in Jabalpur, Ujjain, and Chambal’s Valiyar, especially with 13,000 crore allocated for Simhastha Mela preparations — urging clean water over “dipping saints in polluted water”.
Jabalpur East MLA Lakhan Ghanghoriya highlighted statewide issues, presenting contaminated water samples from 13 spots in Jabalpur, including the city Mayor’s residence area, tested via H2S kits showing pollution.
He lamented the state government’s “insensitivity and cruelty”, urging the Opposition’s role as a mirror to highlight systemic failures.
Hemant Katare of the Congress pressed for higher compensation for the victims’ families, aligning with Congress’s broader demand that the state government acknowledge the real death toll, which they claimed was closer to 35 rather than the 22 officially admitted.
He emphasised that the state government should not only provide financial relief but also take responsibility for systemic failures that allowed contaminated water to reach households.
One Congress member, Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat, pointedly remarked that while Minister Vijayvargiya was showering praise on Indore as if it were a “City of Gold”, the reality was that people had died due to contaminated water in the city.
He reminded Minister Vijayvargiya that he had been in power for decades and therefore bore responsibility for the systemic lapses.
Other Congress voices echoed the same sentiment, insisting that the state government’s claims of success rang hollow in the face of such a man-made disaster.
They accused the BJP-led state government of trying to deflect blame and of turning the tragedy into a political spectacle rather than focusing on accountability and prevention.
The Opposition Congress members, however, highlighted the contradiction between Indore’s celebrated cleanliness rankings and the grim reality of recent deaths caused by contaminated water.
–IANS
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