- 5 days ago
The top focus of this episode of To the Point is on Indore's contaminated water tragedy that has left 10 people dead and over 200 hospitalised.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00poison in Indos water when water turns deadly
00:13in those water killing its people
00:2110 dead over 200 hospitalized
00:27insects felt in drinking water
00:33why was the warning ignored
00:42where does the buck stop
00:47hi there that's our special story at this hour we'll be getting a special ground report from
00:56Indor and also a reality check of how our water is contaminated or not in other cities as well
01:04let's take a look at the headlines first
01:07at least 10 dead in Indor lab test confirms deaths due to contaminated water action taken against
01:21municipal officials Madhya Pradesh government in its status report says cause of illness is being is being probed
01:29mega controversy erupts after KKR purchases Bangladesh cricketer
01:39Mustafizur Rahman for IPL BJP leader calls a Shahrukh Khan traitor
01:46Sena Uddhav Thakre faction issues big warning to Shahrukh Khan Congress slams BJP defends Shahrukh
01:54big blow to Rahul Gandhi's vote to charge Karnataka government survey
02:04says majority trust electronic voting machines 83.61 percent citizens in Karnataka call EVMs fair BJP claims
02:16his votary plot puncture
02:23in fighting intensifies within the Congress in Tamil Nadu Congress MP Jyoti Mani criticizes
02:28her own party ahead of hold says the Tamil Nadu Congress is on a path where which will be seen as directly opposing the politics of Rahul Gandhi
02:40Day after taking oath as New York City's mayor Zohran Mamdani pens a heartfelt note for 2020 Delhi riots accused
02:54Umar Khalid says he often thinks of Umar Khalid's words on bitterness
02:5919 year old girl dies in Himachal after ragging assault sexual harassment in college campus cops register case against three senior students and a professor for the investigation still underway
03:22Good evening Indore wears the badge of India's cleanest city with pride tonight that badge is under scrutiny in neighborhoods across the city the water meant for drinking has turned dangerous
03:50At least 10 people are dead hundreds more have fallen ill or linked to contaminated supply lines
03:57This is not about rankings or awards it's about a civic system that has failed at its fundamental duty
04:06Residents in Bhagaritipura say the signs were impossible to miss yellow water a pungent smell insects floating in containers
04:18Complaints were made warnings were raised but the response came only after hospitals filled with patients suffering from acute stomach infection
04:30Testing has confirmed bacterial contamination with officials pointing to damaged pipelines that's allowed sewage to seep into the drinking water network
04:41The state government has cracked the whip on erring officials and signaled zero tolerance for lapses
04:48From disciplinary action to administrative shuffles the state says accountability is non-negotiable as it steps up the damage control
04:57Show cause notices have been issued to Indore officials and the additional commissioner has been transferred out of the city
05:04The superintendent engineer of the water department has been relieved of his duties and the government has ordered that all vacant posts in the Indore Municipal Corporation be filled immediately
05:18Indore's crisis forces a hard national question
05:23If a city showcased as a model can allow its water to turn lethal
05:29What does that say about the safety of water supplies elsewhere in the country?
05:35Remember this has been prided as India's cleanest city yet contaminated water has now led to the death of children
05:43How did we arrive at such a grim contradiction?
05:47Before we get the parties to speak about it?
05:50Let's be clear. This is an issue of negligence
05:53It's about infrastructure failure
05:55But it is also about something more deeper
05:59Of what really has led to a collapse of the public health
06:04First of the story and then I bring in the guests
06:06Insects lying
06:10Frothing
06:15Frothing
06:18And a foul smell
06:21Surely, this is not water fit for drinking
06:24Yet, this is water the residents of Bhagirathpura in Indore are getting to drink
06:29Even after the tragedy that has already claimed several lies and left many in the hospital
06:34India today is on the ground tracking every detail and shocking information is now coming to the fore
06:49We found that the sewer line and the water pipes run side by side
06:53This water pipe end which is here with this we have the sewer pipeline
07:00So you can see as to how the sewer line and the main water line which goes in the houses of people is connected
07:08And that is one of the reasons that contaminated the entire water
07:12There was a leakage in one of the connections because of this the contaminated water entered into the clean water
07:18And because of that many people were forced to drink the contaminated water
07:22The residents share their plight with India today
07:26Actually, we will be able to take the water
07:27Oh, we have to take the water
07:32After that, can we take the water in the river, the water is yes
07:34All it is, we have to take the water out of the water
07:35After that, is the water in the water
07:37Here we can take the water out of the water
07:38Why, this water is too cold
07:39This water is raining
07:41Hopefully, that is so cold
07:43The water is here
07:44For the water in the water
07:45Meanwhile, the lab report confirmed that contaminated water claimed lives, left people ill, and that
08:02the pipeline leakage led to water contamination. Minister and local MLA Kailash Vijaywargya
08:08asserted that the government is working to fix the problem, but it will take time to
08:12check the entire area.
08:34The Congress has launched a scathing attack on BJP over the issue.
08:40Rahul Gandhi took on Prime Minister Modi and questioned his silence on the deaths, saying
08:44that poison was given to people instead of drinking water.
08:47His lieutenant and Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Jitu Patwari echoed the same.
08:52Workers of the Grand Vowal party hit the streets and staged a protest outside the Indore Municipal
08:59Corporation. They even poured dirty water on the posters of Kailash Vijaywargya.
09:05They even poured dirty water on the posters of Kailash Vijaywargya.
09:20Meanwhile, a status report has been filed before the High Court. The court will now go through the
09:37status report and take up the matter for hearing on the 6th of January. The government is woken up from its slumber
09:41after the deaths and junior officials have been made scapegoats while senior ministers stay away from the heat.
09:44We'll just enter 2026 and yet clean water in a city like Indore which prides on its cleanliness now feels like a luxury.
09:51With Piyush Mishra, Bureau Report, India Today.
10:16Joining me on the show tonight, Ajay Dhavale is the Spokesperson of the BNNNN.
10:21We have Anuma Acharya representing the Congress, Abhilash Khandikar is senior journalist, author
10:29and conservationist, Chinmay Mishra is social activist.
10:33I am going to begin with you, Mr. Dhawale.
10:38The residents had reportedly complained about foul-smelling water for days before this tragedy.
10:49Why did the authorities not act?
10:51Let's declare that our government stands under total transparency and unworrying accountability.
10:59We are not just answering to the public, we are also answering to the on-level ICO to
11:03the facts and actions.
11:04The narrative of delayed action is factually incorrect.
11:07Within hours of the first report, the chief minister's history took charge in a view rarely
11:10seen in adversity.
11:11No, I am not talking about that.
11:12Delayed action is when the residents were talking about foul-smelling water.
11:19Was any action taken then?
11:20So, technically it is critical to understand a technical concern.
11:25The transition of Amrut 2.0 Yojana is a massive city-wide structural overall.
11:30The pursuit delay in Bhagirath Pura pipeline was not a matter of spending fine.
11:35The necessary alignment with the larger Amrut framework to prevent financial misappropriation
11:40and to ensure long-term durability, we are not just pitching the leak.
11:43The government is building world-class integrated water sewer line.
11:46All that world-class, you know, Ajay ji, all these words of world-class planning has collapsed
11:54here.
11:55Let's, you know, face the fact.
11:58Let's face the fact.
11:59Deaths are linked to contaminated water and the government of Madhya Pradesh has to take
12:06moral responsibility.
12:08And it cannot be limited to lower-level officers being suspended.
12:13Yeah.
12:14Maria ji, the Chief Minister has already ordered a probe into why the technical transition period
12:20wasn't breached the better local monitoring.
12:22We can say that today, I can just quote the Honourable Chief Minister's tweet.
12:27He can say that I have ordered a show cause notices to the Indoor municipal commissioner
12:31and additional commissioner.
12:32The additional commissioner has been removed from Indoor immediately.
12:35I have read all the tweets.
12:37Which is becoming clear that your administration, let's be clear, sir, is trying to downplay
12:49the scale of contamination.
12:51You're not accepting that something has horribly gone wrong in a city which was prided by you
12:59and your government as a showcase model.
13:02And here everything seems to be collapsing.
13:05I mean, we are looking at 2026.
13:08We have entered 2026 and we are struggling with what is so basic, as basic as water supply.
13:16And what is coming up right now is your government coming up with big plans.
13:21Nothing seems to be playing out on the ground.
13:23Let me bring in Piyush now.
13:25Piyush is on ground in Indoor.
13:28Piyush, what are you seeing?
13:30What are you seeing there?
13:32Give me a sense.
13:33Because, you know, here are BJP spokespersons coming up with all kinds of excuses, I would
13:38say.
13:39They are trying to downplay what has happened and the extent of contamination.
13:43Can you put number to this tragedy now?
13:50Well, there's a confusion on the numbers also, Maria, because the mayor says something else.
13:56A councillor says something else.
13:58Then we have DM who says something else.
14:00Kilash Vijay Paria is confused, but the official number which the latest we were told by the DM
14:05was that around 10 people have lost their lives.
14:08So there's a confusion in this regard also.
14:10And we would like to certainly tell to our BJP friends that none of their excuse is going
14:16to work today.
14:17Why?
14:18Because people are suffering here in Indoor.
14:20We have been to various places in Indoor where water is contaminated.
14:26And why it is getting contaminated?
14:28Because of the untreated sewage water is entering into the residences of people here.
14:35And the water is contaminating the stored drinking water tank.
14:40So this certainly telling us that there was no proper planning.
14:45There was no proper infrastructure which was laid down.
14:48And when the water has entered in the houses of residents, the untreated sewage water, contaminated
14:53water has entered in the residences.
14:55Despite that, no actions have been taken.
14:58Remember, Maria, that for the last many, many days, we are showing the ground reality to
15:04the people.
15:05And also government must be acknowledging what we are showing.
15:08Despite people losing their life and media exposing the harsh reality here in Indoor,
15:13no action seems to be taken on the ground.
15:17So, multiple figures being quoted but the real picture is not being shared with the people
15:22of India is becoming clear.
15:23So Chinmay, as someone who is there in Indoor, what are residents telling you?
15:29What are residents telling you?
15:31Okay, so perhaps Abhilash, you can answer that question.
15:35Okay.
15:38Chinmay Mishra, this is a question to you.
15:41What are residents telling you?
15:43When did they start noticing contaminated water?
15:48And what has been the response of administration since then?
15:55The local people living here, who are residents, were saying that they were complaining
16:01over 3-4 months.
16:03The local councilor also complained about it.
16:07The return complaint of the ICM's 3111 app also complained about it.
16:13But nobody heard about them.
16:16And they keep moving from that way.
16:21This is their problem.
16:23And this problem is in Indoor's 25-30% area.
16:28It is prevailing in Indoor.
16:30So you are saying that this is perhaps the tip of the iceberg.
16:35There will be more problems, more collapse.
16:37It is visibly the collapse of the civic infrastructure in Indoor.
16:41Yes.
16:42Basically, this is a kind of early sign.
16:45If we are now able to understand, the administration is able to do it,
16:50then there is a possibility that there is no possibility.
16:53And we say that it is not a very emotional issue.
16:58It is a very delicate issue.
17:00It is a delicate issue.
17:01And this is a whole democratic system.
17:04It is a failure.
17:06Where the minister and the mayor are saying that the administration is not listening to them.
17:13So if the elected bodies are not listening to them,
17:16then this is a kind of a failure.
17:18And this is very dangerous for any city or country.
17:23That the city is the most powerful.
17:25What should you share, Jeev?
17:27Mr. Dawley, the mayor doesn't give the right picture.
17:31The DM is quoting another set of numbers.
17:34The MLA of this area is quoting another set of numbers.
17:37That is Mr. Kailash Vijay Vargya.
17:39Who should we believe?
17:40What is the right picture here then?
17:45Maria, let's see the government before the Honorable High Court on Affidavits
17:49see the figure and let's see the number.
17:52Actually, we have already admitted that there is a systematic failure.
17:57And specifically illegal construction over the pipeline.
18:00We have already admitted that this structure has dismantled.
18:04This is the government that leads from the front and acts with the speed of emergency.
18:08And it's committed to ensuring the…
18:10All that promises, you have accepted that there is a failure.
18:14So Anuma Acharya here is the BJP government accepting that there has been a total collapse.
18:20But what is a bigger concern here is what has been highlighted by Chinmay, who is a social activist in Indoor.
18:28That this perhaps could be an early sign.
18:31Close to 25 to 30 percent of the city is facing a problem where the sewage water, untreated sewage water,
18:38is mixing with the groundwater or the water which is being used for drinking and for cooking.
18:46Good evening, Maria.
18:47The situation is far more grave than we are seeing right now.
18:50Good evening, Maria.
18:52Actually, I am…
18:53I come from Madhya Pradesh.
18:55And Indoor is my maternal grandmother.
18:58She used to live.
18:59So this all concerns me a lot.
19:02Basically, two major outbreaks in 18 months.
19:06And the second one has now caught media's attention.
19:09The first one happened, Yukpurish Dharm tragedy.
19:12That happened in June and August 2024.
19:15And why it had happened?
19:17Because that ashram, which had orphan children, it used to use the borewell contaminated by nearby toilets.
19:25So that was the negligence.
19:27And that happened.
19:28Those children were…
19:29Because orphan children, BJP government is all for rich and powerful and upper class people.
19:35So they don't mind.
19:36Anything happens, there is no accountability is being fixed.
19:40As you already said, that small officers, younger officers, I mean, junior officers are being, you know, fixed.
19:48But actual, the problem is, this is the same city wherein, in last year, in MY hospital,
19:57two small babies were bitten by wild rats and they died.
20:02And that also happened second time.
20:05In 2021, that had happened once before also.
20:08This government never, I mean, they are not, they don't get any indication from anything.
20:17The problem here is that minister is ruthless.
20:21They lack sensitivity.
20:23And time and again, eight times the city has been awarded with the cleanest city of India.
20:29Basically, this was…
20:30And that's the irony.
20:31That is really the irony.
20:32You are the cleanest city.
20:33Cleanest city, Mr. Abhilash Khandekar.
20:34Since you have studied indoor civic governance closely, what does this crisis really reveal
20:46about the gap between image management, because clearly that was the case, and ground reality?
20:52I suppose, Mayra, this is clear-cut failure of the governance system, because Madhya Pradesh
20:59has been under BJP government for last 20 years.
21:03Kailash Vijayavargi, who is today the urban development minister, he was the mayor of Indore
21:08about 20 years ago.
21:09He controls Indore city like anything.
21:11I must take your audience back into about 100 years ago, and we keep calling the English
21:18or British people anti-colonial issue.
21:23But the Indore city was designed in 1916 by a Scottish urban planner called Sir Patrick Giddies.
21:31And he had taken steps in those days for cleanliness of Indore.
21:35And today in 2026, what we are seeing is that when the prime minister is talking of Jaljivan
21:41mission, we are not able to provide clean drinking water in a city which is very happening city
21:48and very fast growing in central India.
21:50And Kailash Vijayavargi, who is being seen on the screen, he has been a minister of PWD,
21:55he has been minister of energy, he has been minister of industries, and he has been a very
22:00multiple portfolios.
22:01It is a very towering figure.
22:02It is a towering figure.
22:03It is a towering figure.
22:04Multiple portfolio.
22:05And in fact, yes, Abhilash Khandikar, in fact our reporter tried to speak to the minister,
22:12listening to what he had to say, because Kailash Vijayavargi has dodged all accountability
22:18over the deaths which have happened in Indore.
22:21He is a serving minister in Mohan Yadav's Council of Ministers.
22:26And let's not forget that people are dying because of this bad quality water.
22:34It's a poisonous water.
22:35And Kailash Vijayavargiya says,
22:38Kal Batayenge.
22:39Let's listen into that.
22:40And and then I'm going to come back to all of you.
22:45.
22:49I don't know.
23:19foreign
23:49So here is Kailash Vijay Vargya who was mayor of Indore just 20 years ago and right now
23:57is a minister, is also an MLA of this particular constituency and he says,
24:01we will tell you tomorrow when that question is asked repeatedly by Piyush who is our correspondent
24:05right now on ground in Indore covering this really heartbreaking story.
24:11These are homes in which the drinking water is actually contaminated to such an extent
24:19that nobody seems to be accountable at all and the minister is saying tomorrow.
24:25Should, can that be a response here Chinmeh Mishra?
24:30Can those who have lost their lives, their loved ones be told tomorrow?
24:35No, this can't be a response and this is showing their helplessness in front of you and the government is showing their helplessness in front of you.
24:46There is an issue and there is also a shame that they are doing something.
24:50The problem is that the unauthorized construction that was in the police department, which caused this contamination,
24:57there is no action on it.
25:00The officers who have been sitting here 10-10 years, the officers who are responsible,
25:05there is no action on it.
25:06What will the action on the junior officers?
25:09The mayor's problem is that the mayor calls a meeting, 3-3 hours, the officers are not coming.
25:15The officers are not coming.
25:16And if this particular place is a tender, a half years ago, it was final, 18 months back, it was final.
25:24It was not released yet.
25:26Now, 3 days before this happened, the tender will show us the market.
25:31A half years ago, it is not a tender.
25:33Now, the additional commissioner took away from Sabirah to Sabirah to Sabirah to Sabirah to Sabirah to Sabirah to Sabirah to Sabirah to Sabirah.
25:40So, there is no problem in one day.
25:44This problem is a problem of failure.
25:49Absolutely.
25:50I am going to play that question that was asked by Piyush again, and then I will bring in others.
25:57And I want to understand from you, Abhilash Khandekar in particular, about the fact that there is someone who has to take moral responsibility.
26:08Accountability has to be fixed.
26:11And the buck stops here with whom?
26:14Indeed, the accountability has to be, you know, fixed.
26:17And if we start from the top, I must tell your audience that the chief minister, Dr. Mohan Yadav, is in charge of Indoor district for the last two years.
26:27And if we start it from the bottom-up approach, then the mayor, who is in the office for another three years or two years.
26:36So, either the mayor has to take responsibility, the urban development minister, he is from Indoor, he is a very senior cabinet minister and the chief minister.
26:45The responsibility has to be fixed politically.
26:48There is no point in, you know, of course, there are issues about the bureaucracy, but fact remains that the municipal corporation has been under BJP's regime for last 20, 25 years.
26:58And nobody has been able to, and this is a slap in the face of the cleanest city of the country.
27:03So, what kind of cleanliness they are showing, people are dying here, and nobody is resigning, because it is BJP, which doesn't ask for any resignations.
27:11The mayor is under, you know, under scanner, the development, the urban development minister is under doubt, and the chief minister is just not speaking anything about Indoor.
27:20And like Wing Commander said that only last year, people, young kids and infants died because of the rat biting in a government hospital.
27:31So, what is happening to Indoor, which is, which was ruled by Devi Ahilyabhai once upon a time, was known for good governance.
27:38Okay, I am going to play that, you know, attempt at asking questions to Kailash Vijay Vargya again, and then I will bring in Piyush.
27:47He has been snubbed by the BJP high command now, because...
27:51Kailash Vijay Vargya.
27:53Kailash Vijay, this is today's house, where we have seen that the people who are going to see sewage.
28:00What are the people who say, who are going to see sewage?
28:03Kailash Vijay Vargya.
28:05Kailash Vijay, sir.
28:06Kailash Vijay, sir, please.
28:07I have a question, please.
28:08Please, sir.
28:09You don't get caught up.
28:10I have caught up.
28:11Please, sir.
28:12You can't go down.
28:13Please, sir.
28:14Please, sir.
28:15You don't get caught up.
28:16You don't get caught up.
28:25And I'm going to go
28:54to Piyush
28:56who tried to speak to Kailash Vijayavargia
28:58of course he had no answer
29:01and the only answer that he gave
29:02was Kal Bataenge
29:04Piyush
29:07Well certainly
29:10Maria we tried
29:12multiple times to ask questions from
29:14Kailash Vijayavargia but he kept
29:16on saying I'm Kal Bataenge
29:18I'm Kal Bataenge
29:19but he's the same leader who at once
29:21went to their houses
29:23the victims houses
29:25you know and sought
29:27their votes
29:28he's the same leader who was
29:30you know also
29:32roaming around in the same lanes
29:34the same streets when he had to become
29:36the MLA of this constituency
29:38but today when the same
29:40voters of Indore constituency
29:42are agitated, are frustrated
29:44they do not have
29:45proper drinking water
29:48facilities in their houses
29:49to them
29:50Kailash Vijayavargia says
29:52I'm Kal Bataenge
29:53the point here is that
29:54when will this Kal come
29:56when will the answers come
29:57from the government
29:58because people are
30:00seeking answers from the government
30:01and this shows the complete failure
30:03of the entire administration
30:05you would remember Maria that
30:06the government was saying that
30:09they have taken all
30:10all these steps to ensure proper
30:13facilities of water
30:15but when we went there
30:17in the houses of
30:18people of Indore
30:19we saw how
30:20the sewage
30:21untreated sewage water
30:23was entering in the houses
30:24of people
30:24and that was
30:25contaminating the water
30:27people were telling us that
30:28once Kailash Vijayavargia
30:30when visited the locality
30:31he himself
30:32did not
30:33drink that water
30:34he just touched the water
30:36and he did not consume
30:37that water
30:37so when Kailash Vijayavargia
30:39could not consume that water
30:41then how could he
30:42imagine that
30:43people of this constituency
30:44will have this water
30:45and there are multiple questions
30:47to which not only
30:47Kailash Vijayavargia
30:48but the various
30:50representatives of this
30:51entire constituency
30:52will have to answer
30:53but when questions
30:54were posed
30:55to Kailash Vijayavargia
30:55he kept on saying
30:57we will have this water
30:57it remains to be seen
30:59when will this
31:00Kailash Vijayavargia
31:00comes
31:01so there is no Kail
31:03when it is for those
31:05families
31:05who have lost
31:06their loved ones
31:07remember
31:0710 are dead
31:10and nearly
31:11200 people
31:13have been
31:13hospitalized
31:14and the answer
31:15which has come
31:16from the minister
31:16is Kailbataayenge
31:18this is a clear
31:19example of
31:20the minister
31:20dodging
31:21his responsibility
31:23not taking
31:24accountability
31:25when will that
31:27be fixed
31:27is the larger
31:28question
31:28yes please
31:29go ahead
31:30Anumacharya
31:31I just wanted
31:32to say that
31:33the tender to fix
31:34these pipelines
31:35were issued
31:35in August
31:362025
31:36but until
31:38people died
31:39nobody bothered
31:40about it
31:40there is an
31:41accountability gap
31:42suspensions are
31:43eyewash
31:44lower level
31:44engineers are
31:45scapegoats
31:46well the senior
31:47leadership is
31:47just enjoying
31:48whatever they are
31:49doing
31:49so now
31:51government is
31:51giving compensation
31:52which is just
31:532 lakh rupees
31:54I mean
31:54it is criminal
31:56and they have
31:57always ignored
31:59the red flags
32:00I mean
32:00residents said
32:01about foul
32:02smelling
32:02you already
32:03said
32:03black water
32:04for over a
32:05week before
32:05the deaths
32:06began
32:06so again
32:08and again
32:08and I must
32:09tell you
32:09today
32:10because earlier
32:11if I would
32:11have said
32:12people wouldn't
32:12have bothered
32:13but this
32:14Indore
32:15the cleanest
32:15city was
32:16only an
32:17experiment
32:18it was a
32:19political
32:19experiment
32:20better cities
32:21like Nagpur
32:22better cities
32:22like Coimbatore
32:23they all are
32:24here in India
32:25but because
32:26Madhya Pradesh
32:27matters
32:27because Indore
32:29matters
32:29and the
32:30politics of
32:30RSS
32:31starts from
32:32these places
32:32so therefore
32:33they have
32:34always again
32:35and again
32:35declared Indore
32:36as the
32:37clean most
32:37city
32:38and actually
32:38this was more
32:39like a sham
32:39Ajay Dhawali
32:40this was more
32:41like a sham
32:41of a cleanest
32:43city tag
32:44when it is
32:44really not
32:45it was not
32:47maria
32:48maria
32:49while the
32:49opposition
32:49is
32:50this is a cleanest
32:50city
32:50what is the
32:52surface
32:52below
32:53is this
32:53a different
32:54thing
32:54but Indore
32:56is a clean
32:56city
32:56maria
32:58yes
32:59the opposition
33:00is using
33:01counting cameras
33:02and playing
33:03politics
33:04with the
33:04pain
33:04our
33:05chief minister
33:05is on
33:06the ground
33:06he have
33:07been
33:08instructed
33:09the administration
33:10to ensure
33:11every household
33:12getting water
33:13and every patient
33:13couldn't have
33:15been prevented
33:16let me ask
33:17that direct
33:17question now
33:18to Abhilash
33:19Khandikar
33:19could this
33:20have been
33:20avoided
33:20and prevented
33:21could those
33:2210 lives
33:23have been
33:23saved
33:23could have
33:25been really
33:26avoided
33:26if the
33:27work culture
33:28had been
33:29put in place
33:30and why I am
33:31saying repeatedly
33:32is because
33:32there is
33:33no way that
33:34BJP can save
33:35its face
33:35they have been
33:36in power
33:36there have been
33:37MPs and
33:38MLAs and
33:39mayors and
33:39ministers from
33:40Indore city
33:41so there cannot
33:42be
33:42so if the
33:44minister says
33:44that there is
33:45no coordination
33:46between the
33:46ministers and
33:47the officers
33:47of the
33:48municipal
33:48corporation
33:49this is a
33:49lame excuse
33:50and therefore
33:51I have been
33:51repeatedly saying
33:52this is a
33:52governance issue
33:53and if the
33:54government had
33:55properly assessed
33:56the situation
33:57not only about
33:57this contamination
33:58of water
33:59but overall
33:59governance of
34:00municipal corporation
34:01things could have
34:02been avoided
34:02what is becoming
34:05clear here is
34:06that this is an
34:08attempt to
34:09underplay
34:10the damage
34:12now
34:12which is
34:13which has been
34:14caused
34:15and you know
34:17beyond temporary
34:18arrests or
34:19inquiries
34:19you have to go
34:21beyond
34:22what has gone
34:23wrong
34:24you know
34:24there are
34:24corrective actions
34:26which are need
34:26which needs to be
34:27taken here
34:28and that's
34:29what I'm
34:29asking
34:29when will
34:30that be
34:30taken
34:30we don't
34:33we don't
34:34just offer
34:34condolences
34:35we offer
34:35accountability
34:36we don't
34:37just
34:37we are
34:38overhauling
34:38the entire
34:39city
34:39our commitment
34:40is simple
34:40we will not
34:41rest until the
34:42legacy of
34:42infrastructure
34:43issues of
34:4450 years
34:44and replace
34:45the system
34:45to guarantee
34:45the history
34:46of every
34:46citizen
34:47the people
34:47of Indore
34:48deserve the
34:48truth
34:48and they
34:49deserve
34:49the action
34:50yes
34:51all that's
34:52a great
34:52answer
34:53and you
34:53know
34:53that's
34:54a great
34:54answer
34:54but
34:55Chinmay
34:55Mishra
34:56I have
34:56just
34:56enough
34:56time
34:57for
34:57you
34:57the
34:59local
34:59governance
35:00has
35:00collapsed
35:01and
35:02this is
35:03visibly
35:03a public
35:04health
35:04crisis
35:05of
35:06national
35:06relevance
35:07and
35:07that
35:07is
35:07the
35:07reason
35:08why
35:08the
35:08spotlight
35:08on
35:09it
35:09has
35:10to
35:10be
35:10there
35:10definitely
35:13this
35:13system
35:14collapsed
35:14and
35:15smart
35:15city
35:15now
35:16made
35:16the
35:16smart
35:17city
35:17has
35:17been
35:18drainage
35:19line
35:19not
35:20deleted
35:20where
35:21the
35:21roads
35:22are
35:22not
35:22scared
35:24and
35:25the
35:25big
35:26problem
35:26is
35:27that
35:27local
35:27self
35:28governments
35:28are
35:2874
35:29amendment
35:30under
35:3073
35:3074
35:31amendment
35:32constitution
35:33has
35:34no power
35:34so
35:36they
35:36are
35:36useless
35:37if
35:38they
35:38are
35:38useless
35:39if
35:39they
35:39are
35:40useless
35:41they
35:41are
35:42useless
35:42our
35:42people
35:42have
35:43money
35:43fall to
35:44to
35:44the
35:44mayor
35:44and
35:45councilors
35:46and
35:47the
35:49committee
35:49made
35:50the
35:50municipal
35:51commissioner
35:52lower
35:52level
35:53officer
35:54is
35:54the
35:55committee
35:56charge
35:56commissioner
35:57not
35:58done
35:58so
35:59how
35:59do we
36:00mean
36:01a
36:03lower
36:04level
36:04officer
36:04can
36:05do
36:05this
36:05level
36:06officer
36:06who
36:08are
36:08here
36:09sitting
36:10here
36:10and
36:11who
36:11are
36:13watching
36:14and
36:15they
36:16are
36:17I don't understand where the lines are.
36:20People complain about 1-1,5 years ago.
36:22If you look at the local authorities,
36:24people are not seeing water here.
36:27People are not seeing water here.
36:29They are trying to smell it.
36:31After that, they are trying to drink water.
36:34If the city is the biggest, 35,000,000,
36:36the most prosperous, the most prosperous,
36:39the most prosperous, the most revenue,
36:41the most prosperous, the most prosperous,
36:44when the city is now proposed.
36:48You don't think that this city is one day.
36:51It's becoming so toppings.
36:53It's a years together.
36:55In the last 15 years,
36:56there has been no difference.
36:58It's a superficial.
36:59You are building a fire.
37:00You are breaking people in the streets.
37:02You are not rehabilitating.
37:04And, there is no work in any city.
37:09Alright. Mr. Dawley, I really appreciate your time.
37:12Chinmemishra, Abhilash Khandikar and Wing Commander Anumacharya. Remember it's a
37:18tragedy which could have been avoided provided the state government and the
37:22city administration could have been alert and responded when the people were
37:27complaining about foul smell coming from the water that they were drinking and
37:32were using it for cooking. After a water contamination tragedy that claimed lives
37:37and sent hundreds to hospital, disturbing questions remain unanswered. India
37:42today's Apewsh Mishra in fact goes to the ground to uncover how Indore's taps
37:48turned into a threat.
37:57Indore from above tells one story. Indore on the ground tells another.
38:07A story where water that should sustain life is slowly putting it at risk.
38:31This is not a drought. Water is reaching homes. But residents say what's coming to the
38:37taps is unsafe.
38:43You can see how bad this water is. And if you go and see it, there are four
38:49sides of the water. And people are going to take water under the water. And this water is so bad that it is
38:59so bad that it is so bad that it is so difficult. You can see it in four sides.
39:03The contamination is not sudden, but has been building up for weeks.
39:09You can see this is the main line. This is the main water line, the main boring water line which people use for their daily purpose. And you know as of now it has been blocked but you can open it by
39:15using few steps and you can see as to how the water is coming out of this.
39:21You can see the kind of water. People are forced to drink. This is the contaminated water.
39:27And this situation is persisting for the last many, many years. And there is no solution which is coming to the fore.
39:33This bad water is coming from a month before the water.
39:43This water is coming from a month before the water is opened.
39:47Clean drinking water has now come at a cost paid daily by families already under strain.
39:51Clean drinking water.
40:11Clean drinking water has now come at a cost paid daily by families already under strain.
40:21Clean drinking water.
40:33This is not water from a drain or river. This is municipal supply collected from household taps.
40:41People are forced to drink this contaminated water which has insects swimming inside this water.
40:59And this is the reality of this area of indoor. You can see how insects are having their life here.
41:06You can see how much water is coming from here.
41:13Repeated complaints have brought no relief.
41:20And the impact is now being felt inside homes.
41:25We will show you how the place which is used for storing water is completely contaminated.
41:50You can see how this is the place where people store water for drinking purpose, for cleaning purpose, for cooking food purpose.
41:58But this entire water is purely contaminated.
42:07Across neighbourhoods, people report falling sick, suffering from stomach infections, weakness and skin irritation.
42:15For many, the choice is cruel and simple. Drink the water and risk illness or go without.
42:22But residents insist the problem doesn't begin at their taps. They say it begins far upstream.
42:30They areил.
42:31they can find easily but there is too female water being made under.
42:33These are looking to be disabled.
42:37They do not want the person's water.
42:43They are southern.
42:47After days of anger and rising concern, municipal officials finally reached affected areas.
43:17For Indor, this is no longer just about dirty water.
43:39It's about accountability, about public health and about how long a city can be forced to live with fear flowing from its taps.
43:49Bureau Report, India Today.
43:52Bureau Report, India Today's reality check shows contaminated water flowing into homes across the country, quietly and unchecked.
44:02From areas near the chief minister's residence in Lucknow, to fluoride-hit villages in Gaya, in Bihar, to the hamlets in Munger, where water has already killed people.
44:15Three states, three locations, one systemic failure.
44:19This is not a local problem, viewers.
44:22It's a national warning.
44:24And here's that special report.
44:25Indor has already paid the price for poisoned water, with several lives being lost.
44:47But the danger doesn't stop there.
44:52Across cities and villages in India, contaminated water flows into our homes, quietly, daily and unchecked.
44:59Now, India Today brings you this reality check from three states.
45:12Three locations, one common failure.
45:15In Lucknow, just one kilometre away from the chief minister's residence, water itself has become a health hazard.
45:21Around 3,000 people in Balwadda and Jai Prakash Nagar are affected and forced to use water that is visibly dirty, yellow in colour and foul smelling.
45:33We have a lot of people in Gaya Prakash Nagar.
46:03Residents say broken pipelines run alongside sewage lines, allowing the waste to seep directly into drinking water supply.
46:22For many, that means buying bottled water, an expense they can barely afford.
46:46Complaints have been made repeatedly.
47:05Officials visit, they inspect and then nothing changes.
47:09The water is so bad that the animals can't eat the water in the same way.
47:16If the right way is sampling, the water will fall, the water will fall, the water will fall.
47:21When you do it, you don't have a response.
47:24When you do it, you don't have a response.
47:25We will come and take a sample and take a sample.
47:28We will take a sample and put a photo and put a sample.
47:32We don't put a photo of the water.
47:34This is very bad.
47:35This is not an isolated pocket and it's not an urban problem.
47:49In villages near Bodh Gaya, the contamination is invisible but devastating.
47:54Here, water contains dangerously high levels of fluoride.
47:58The impact is written on people's bodies.
48:01Children grow up with yellowing teeth.
48:03Young adults complain of chronic pain.
48:06Older residents struggle to walk, bend or stand.
48:09Some families have even migrated, leaving their homes behind because the water was destroying their health.
48:15otros destroying their health.
48:25A fluoride removal plant was installed under an 80 lakh rupee water supply project.
48:49But it never became operational.
48:52Officials say groundwater levels are too low,
48:54leaving the project defunct and villages exposed.
48:59Medical authorities confirm that multiple villages in Gaia district are affected by excess fluoride.
49:24Medical teams are now being sent, but the treatment comes years after exposure.
49:29From slow poisoning to deadly neglect, in the Doodpania village of Munger, contaminated water has already taken lives.
49:44Six people have died in just one year, linked to prolonged exposure to high fluoride levels.
49:51Entire families suffer from skeletal deformities, paralysis and chronic illness.
49:57Medical tests have been conducted, but residents say reports are delayed, treatment incomplete and follow-up absent.
50:05Authorities installed a public tap system, but fluoride levels remain dangerously high.
50:12Residents now boil water before drinking, not as a precaution, but as desperation.
50:19From Lucknow to Gaia to Munger, the pattern is unmistakable.
50:26Broken pipelines, defunct projects, delayed responses.
50:27Water contamination is no longer a local crisis, it's a national warning.
50:33With Ashish Srivastra, Pankaj Kumar and Govind Kumar, an India Today reality check.
50:40This is the Big India Today Impact.
51:08This is the Big India Today Impact.
51:10The IT ministry has written to X, asking X to take down certain categories of content circulating on the platform.
51:18IT ministry has observed that the service, namely Grok.ai available on X platform,
51:24is being misused by users to create fake accounts to host, generate, publish or share obscene images of women,
51:33which is being seen as derogatory, vulgar and outrightly outraging modesty.
51:40We have Aishwarya joining us. Aishwarya, give us the details.
51:43Well, you know, one of the things that we have seen often happening, you would have also seen that, you know,
51:48certain kind of photos, they start doing rounds, especially on Twitter.
51:51Now, it's the IT ministry which has taken notice of this and they have in fact given a notice of 72 hours.
51:56In the next 72 hours, X will have to make sure all those images and videos that have been doing rounds,
52:01all of them now need to be taken down.
52:03The IT ministry very, very clearly said that they in fact have been observing that certain things that certain individuals have been putting out,
52:09in fact certain empties, have also been complaining about their images being used rather misused.
52:15And all those kind of things then making it to the social media platform.
52:19Now, the IT ministry very, very clearly specifically says that the platforms are responsible.
52:24They need to vet the kind of content that has been doing rounds.
52:27And with regards to the various complaints that they have been receiving, a 72 hour notice has now been given to X.
52:33They now need to make sure all these kind of contents are immediately taken down.
52:36And also they need to tell the IT ministry what measures they will take so that in future these kind of content does not make it to the platform.
52:43All right, Ashwarya, really appreciate your time.
52:46Thank you for that quick update.
52:47That's all from me.
52:48Thanks so much for watching.
Be the first to comment