Cong, BJP seek MC dissolution

SHIMLA: Gross negligence and callousness on the part of Shimla Municipal Corporation in supplying drinking water contaminated with the dead body of the four-year-old kidnapped child Yug Gupta for more than two years echoed in the Assembly today with both Congress and the BJP seeking dissolution of the MC and strict action against the erring officials.

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 24

Gross negligence and callousness on the part of Shimla Municipal Corporation in supplying drinking water contaminated with the dead body of the four-year-old kidnapped child Yug Gupta for more than two years echoed in the Assembly today with both Congress and the BJP seeking dissolution of the MC and strict action against the erring officials.

The issue was raised in the Assembly under rule 62 by Shimla legislator and Chief Whip of the BJP Suresh Bhardwaj and the Congress MLA from Kasumpti Anirudh Singh. Highlighting the laxity on the part of Shimla MC in failing to detect and remove the mortal remains of the child despite claiming to have cleaned the water tank twice, both demanded that the local body should be dissolved and FIR be registered against the concerned officials.

Close on the heels of death of almost 20 persons due to jaundice outbreak almost six months ago, the issue of supply of contaminated water has once again brought focus on how lax and inadequate is the water supply system in the state capital. The police removed skeletal remains of the child from the water tank in Kaleston area of the town on August 22 even though the child was drowned alive by tying a boulder on June 21, 2014. The MC claimed to have found skeleton on January 29 this year while cleaning the tank but did not report it.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh assured the House that the highest stringent action would be taken against the guilty officials and nobody will be spared for such gross negligence. He said had it not been for the efforts of the CID the case would have probably remained unsolved.

Replying to the debate, Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma said the government shared the concern of the MLAs. “The killing of the child is no doubt a heinous crime but an inquiry will be ordered to fix responsibility and see whether the cleaning of the tank as being claimed by MC was actually done or existed only on papers,” he said. He also assured the house that the government will consider the demand of the two MLAs for dissolving the MC.

“I have asked the Shimla MC to immediately undertake fencing of all the water tanks in Shimla as round-the-clock physical monitoring is simply not possible. In the present times when security threats are grave, we will have to take adequate safety measures,” he said.