The Shimla Municipal Corporation facing public wrath after allegation of supply of contaminated water to parts of town after alarming revelation that a dead body remained immersed in one tank for years, today declared that it would come up making one man panel report public about quality of water supplied from the tank and those responsible, if found, senior functionary of Shimla MC said.
Giving clarification on the allegations of supply of contaminated water Mayor of Shimla MC, Mr. Sanjay Chauhan said that one man panel probing the foul play by its officials about supply of water having human bodies to be made public soon as it was being probed by its Assistant Commission Mr. Prashant Sarkek. “After the outbreak of Jaundice last year MC have adopted zero-tolerance about quality of water and was pioneer to raise alarm about contamination of water sources as it exposed supply of silted, sewerage contaminated water to the town.” Mayor said.
“MC never compromised such foul plays risking many lives of innocents citizen as it had lodged an FIR in the past and would not spare the its own functionaries if it would found adopting negligence in present.” CPI(M) asserted. Responding to the media query He said that so far MC records indicated that tank has been properly cleaned in between the said crime however it was not clear when the body was thrown in the tank as it may have dissembled and decayed after hyper treatment of chlorine. The water was fit for human consumption expect one report of its more than two dozen samples taken from the tank after the alleged crime occurred.
Some BJP and Congress leaders were trying to put entire burden of crime on the Civic body and its functionaries also seeking dismissal seems to be divert the attention form the real issue, Mr. Chauhan alleged. This was shear issue of law and order moreover there was no SOPs to maintain the quality of water and the MC has alerted the State Government many times to ensure quality of water which was mainly focusing on the supply of enough quantity to meet the demand of drinking water in the town.
“MC have been lifting the samples of water regularly from the tank and no major outbreak of epidemic occur in the said area . It was being now speculated that contaminated water was being supplied” he said. “We are verifying samples of water from different sources regularly and also cleaning water storage tanks however MC officials never recorded tracing of any human body from any of its tanks.” he said.
Mr. Chauhan said that Preliminary investigation showed that human remains were recovers from the outside of tank which further revealed that water tank have been cleaned several times in between the two years of drowning the body and recovery of parts of child skeleton. We want to make it clear that MC officials never recovered entire body from the tanks and its was in bits and pieces that decayed bodies part might removed along with muck, Mayor said.
Mayor said that MC have order to seal all its water storage tank after fencing them and install locks on its gates and tanks covers. It was eye opening to the MC and others civic bodies in the state that water sources could be misused by the criminals on the analogy of Shimla MC tank. It was issue of law and order however SOPs should be made to ensure the supply of quality water and maintains of the water sources and storage.
