Diarrhoea deaths: Kapurthala councillors seek action against MC commissioner

Municipal commissioner has rubbished the allegations, saying the grievances of councillors are being redressed.

The mayor and municipal councillors in Kapurthala have been blaming the civic body commissioner for the “poor basic amenities” that led to the death of five persons due to diarrhoea outbreak a fortnight ago. The councillors, led by mayor Kulwant Kaur, met deputy commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal twice in the past three days and handed over a memorandum seeking action against commissioner Anupam Kaler.

Nearly 65 cases of diarrhoea were reported from Kapurthala recently. Five patients, including a 2-year-old, lost their lives.

Nearly 65 cases of diarrhoea were reported from Mehndi Chownk, Mehtabgarh, Bakarkhana Chowk, Kadupur and Sundarnagar. Five patients, including a 2-year-old, lost their lives.

In the memorandum submitted to the deputy commissioner, the councillors blamed the “negligence” of MC officials. “It was the MC commissioner’s duty to get clean the entire sewerage before the onset of monsoon. The MC sanctioned twice mechanical cleaning of sewerage using super suction machines but the official remained reluctant to give clearance despite the fact that sufficient funds were available with the MC,” mayor Kulwant Kaur said.

She added that the matter was taken up with local MLA Rana Gurjit Singh. “Minister for local bodies Balkar Singh, who visited Kapurthala during the diarrhoea outbreak, was apprised about the matter, but nothing has been done,” she added.

Rubbishing the allegations, MC commissioner Anupam Kaler said all measures were being adopted to avoid outbreak of any disease. “We are addressing the grievances of the councillors. The situation was controlled by taking the required measures,” Kaler said.

The councillors sought a minimum compensation of ₹5 lakh to those who died of diarrhoea. They also demanded criminal liability to be fixed against those who did not carry out their duties.

Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjit Singh said the corporation received ₹14.60 crore for development under different heads but the funds remain unused. “I had asked for purchase of super suction machines for cleaning the sewerage, but the corporation didn’t,” he said, adding the state government should have a system to hold local bodies officials accountable in such matters.