Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 2 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Friday expressed his concerns over the Indore water contamination issue in which five people have been reported dead and over 200 have been hospitalised, saying that "this wasn't a one-day incident."
Speaking to ANI, AAP MP condemned state cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya over his inappropriate remarks to a journalist on being questioned about public health issues.
Singh said, "It is a matter of great shame and pain that even after so many years of independence, 20 people are dying in this country from drinking contaminated water... The deaths of 20 people seem like a trivial matter to the minister."
Referring to the announcement by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav regarding compensation to the family of the deceased, reiterated by Vijayvargiya, Sanjay Singh said, "Can you compensate for the death of someone's family member due to administrative lapses with money? How is it fair?"
He further alleged that the complaints over contaminated water have been prevalent in the state, which has now snowballed into a pandemic.
Singh said, "In the country's cleanest city, there had been complaints about contaminated water for a very long time... This is a case of long-standing complaints... Thousands of people were falling ill from drinking the contaminated water. So this wasn't a one-day incident..."
Earlier in the day, CM Mohan Yadav reviewed the steps being taken by the state government officials regarding the contaminated drinking water incident in Indore and issued necessary directions.
He instructed to serve show-cause notices to the Indore Municipal Corporation Commissioner and Additional Commissioner.
Additionally, he directed to transfer of the Additional Commissioner from Indore with immediate effect, and to withdraw the charge of the water distribution works from the In-charge Superintending Engineer
"This morning, I reviewed the actions being taken by the state government in the Indore contaminated drinking water case with the Chief Secretary and other officials and issued necessary directives. We also discussed the report submitted by the Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Administration and Development)," CM said in a post on X.
He further added, "I instructed that show-cause notices be issued to the Indore Municipal Corporation Commissioner and Additional Commissioner in this regard. The Additional Commissioner be immediately transferred from Indore, and the in-charge Superintending Engineer be relieved of his duties in the water distribution department. I also directed that the necessary vacant posts in the Indore Municipal Corporation be filled immediately."
The Chief Minister also emphasised that following the Indore contaminated drinking water incident, corrective measures were being taken for other parts of the state as well, stressing instructions were given to the concerned officials for the purpose.