Mayor drinks tap water, rejects Jitu’s contamination claims

Indore: Dismissing Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari’s allegation that 90% of the city’s water is toxic, mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava visited Sudama Nagar on Monday and publicly drank tap water from listed households. Terming the allegations “false and misleading,” Bhargava criticised Patwari for attempting to malign Indore’s reputation using a three-month-old report.

Patwari had previously asserted that Sudama Nagar’s water was unfit for human consumption based on a testing sample.

Bhargava countered that local residents have safely consumed Narmada pipeline water for months without registering municipal complaints. He noted that while Patwari claimed 240 samples were tested, details for only 130 were released, challenging Congress to provide the remaining locations for administrative inspection.

In another development, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) commissioner Kshitij Singhal penalised two private firms a total of Rs 1 lakh for utilising contracted municipal water tankers for commercial purposes.

During inspections, the officials intercepted two unauthorised deliveries. A tanker was caught supplying water to a hotel in Ratan Lok Colony, while another was found delivering water to a girls’ hostel in Bhagyashree Colony.

Both firms were fined Rs 50,000 each. Singhal reiterated that contracted water resources must solely serve public needs in designated zones, warning that future commercial diversions would face strict legal penalties.