Indore water contamination: Madhya Pradesh HC appoints commission to probe deaths

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday appointed a one-member commission of inquiry to investigate water contamination in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area, where several deaths were reported in recent weeks, Bar and Bench reported. Former judge Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta will head the commission.

The court also directed that water quality be tested daily and medical camps be held in the affected localities.

The order came more than a month after more than 1,400 persons fell ill in Bhagirathpura area due to water contamination, with symptoms including vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration. The cases were first reported on December 24.

While the state government told the court that 23 deaths had been reported from Bhagirathpura, it claimed that only 16 were on account of the water contamination, Bar and Bench reported. The petitioners and media reports claim that the toll was closer to 30.

The Madhya Pradesh government made the claims based on a report prepared by a five-member committee from the government-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, which examined 23 deaths from the area, PTI reported. The report stated that the deaths of four persons were unrelated to the outbreak, while no conclusion could be reached regarding the cause of death of three other persons in the area.

The authorities in Indore had earlier said that residents of the Bhagirathpura area had complained that the water supplied to them had an unusual smell.

On Tuesday, a bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi took note of allegations that sewage mixing, pipeline leakages and the failure of civic authorities to maintain potable water standards had led to the outbreak of water-borne diseases, Bar and Bench reported.

Photographs, medical reports and complaints indicated a matter requiring urgent judicial scrutiny, the bench said.

"Considering the gravity of the allegation and affecting the right to life under Article 21 [right to life] of the Constitution of India and the need for an independent fact-finding exercise, the court is of the opinion that the matter requires investigation by an independent, credible authority," Bar and Bench quoted the court as saying.

The court directed the commission to submit a report on the cause of contamination and the actual number of deaths reported in the area.

The court also asked the state government what the scientific basis was for its conclusion that 16 of the 23 deaths in Bhagirathpura were confirmed to be due to water contamination and the others were not, The Indian Express reported.

The commission has also been tasked with identifying officials who were prima facie responsible for the incident, and recommending guidelines for compensation to affected residents, particularly those from vulnerable sections, Bar and Bench reported.

The matter has been listed for hearing on March 5.