Dehradun, Sep 22 (IANS): Following an outbreak of illness linked to contaminated drinking water in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said that those responsible for the situation have been identified and action has already been taken against them. The deaths of a 16-year-old student and a 26-year-old woman have further heightened panic and concern among residents in the affected areas.
The development comes after contaminated drinking water in Jeolikote and surrounding villages left a large number of people ill and triggered concern over a possible outbreak of waterborne disease.
Speaking to reporters in Dehradun, Chief Minister Dhami said the incident was tragic and stressed that those found responsible would be held accountable.
“The Jeolikote area incident is very tragic, and certainly, everyone should be held accountable. The responsibility of those who are accountable has been fixed, and action has been taken in the first phase. The aim is to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future,” he said.
Following the outbreak, six engineers from the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan and Peyjal Nigam have been suspended. The action was taken on the Chief Minister’s orders after the district administration submitted a report regarding the situation.
The suspended engineers have been accused of negligence in the discharge of their official duties in connection with the water supply situation in the affected areas.
Those suspended include the in-charge Superintending Engineer of Jal Sansthan, Haldwani, along with an Assistant Engineer and an Additional Assistant Engineer of Nainital Jal Sansthan.
The action also includes an Executive Engineer, an in-charge Assistant Engineer and a Junior Engineer of Peyjal Nigam, Bhimtal, who have also been suspended following the report submitted by the district administration.
The Executive Engineer of Nainital Jal Sansthan has also been warned that strict action will be taken if any negligence is found in the future, with the administration maintaining that officials must ensure that such lapses do not recur.
