Leptospirosis outbreak: Ferozepur admn recommends action against XEN, SDO

Acting on the findings of the inquiry conducted by sub-divisional magistrate Lindiya, the Ferozepur DC has written to the principal secretary, Public Health, seeking action against the two officials

Ferozepur deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma has recommended action against the executive engineer (XEN) and sub-divisional officer (SDO) of the public health department following a magisterial inquiry into the leptospirosis outbreak in Hazara Singh Wala village that has claimed the life of a 12-year-old girl and affected 35 residents, most of them children.

Six of the 25 children hospitalised with leptospirosis were discharged from the Ferozepur civil hospital on Tuesday. (HT)

Acting on the findings of the inquiry conducted by sub-divisional magistrate Lindiya, the deputy commissioner (DC) has written to the principal secretary, Public Health, seeking action against the two officials, citing serious lapses and systemic negligence.

According to the DC, the report reveals that nearly 400 of the approximately 500 water supply connections in the village were illegal. These unauthorised connections allegedly caused repeated breaches in pipelines, enabling contamination to enter the drinking water network, she said.

Officials said the inquiry had revealed that the water supply line had been laid around five years ago without obtaining the mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC). The pipeline reportedly passed through a pond area alongside a sewer line, significantly increasing the risk of contamination. Officials also confirmed that a show-cause notice earlier issued to the XEN had not been responded to within the stipulated time.

The education department has also come under the scanner. Both the government primary and senior secondary schools in the village were found to have defunct RO systems, said DC Sharma, adding that at the primary school, the water tank had no lid, allowing dirt and contaminants to accumulate.

Sharma has directed the district education officers (Elementary and Secondary) to fix responsibility and submit an action taken report within 48 hours.

The panchayati raj department is also facing scrutiny as despite the availability of funds, the village pond had reportedly not been cleaned for years. “The additional deputy commissioner (Development) has been tasked with determining accountability, including that of the block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) and the village sarpanch,” said the DC.

The outbreak, traced to the consumption of contaminated water, led to the hospitalisation of 25 villagers at the Ferozepur civil hospital. Six children were discharged on Tuesday after full recovery, while the remaining patients are stated to be stable.

Civil surgeon Dr Rajiv Parashar said specialist teams were monitoring patients and medical camps were in place in the village.

Though emergency repairs have been carried out and initial water samples from the water works have been found “fit”, fresh samples collected through local health authorities have been sent for confirmation, and regular supply will resume only after clearance.

“Samples from private submersible borewells, however, have failed quality tests, prompting advisories against their use,” an official said.

Meanwhile, a team from the health department headquarters in Chandigarh visited the village. Door-to-door surveys and a second round of screening are underway.