The Indore city unit of the Congress party held a protest on Tuesday at Rajwada against the escalating water crisis in the city, calling it a failure of the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC).
Protest Details
Led by party state president Jitu Patwari and IMC leader of opposition Chintu Chouksey, hundreds of party workers, including a large number of women carrying empty earthen pots, staged a sit-in before marching toward the corporation headquarters.
Allegations by Congress
Addressing the gathering, Patwari alleged that nearly 90 percent of the city's accessible groundwater had become contaminated and unfit for consumption, leaving citizens without adequate drinking water. Former minister Sajjan Singh Verma criticised Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava's administration, terming him an 'accidental mayor' unable to handle the summer water deficit.
Clashes and Traffic Diversions
The protest witnessed physical scuffles when police blocked the main gates of IMC headquarters and enforced traffic diversions around Khajuri Bazar. Protesters clashed with security personnel while breaking earthenware pots against the barricades to symbolize dry taps.
Congress's Planned Report
Patwari said that Congress would release an independent, comprehensive field report within three days detailing localized water quality and supply deficits across the city.
Mayor's Response
Bhargava dismissed the opposition's protest as an attempt to create panic and misinformation. Countering the allegations, the Mayor challenged Congress corporators to provide a transparent public accounting of the municipal water tankers allocated to their respective wards to verify distribution efficiency.
Causes of Water Crisis
Bhargava said that below-average rainfall during the previous monsoon cycle led to the drying up of thousands of public and private tubewells across the city this year. He, however, emphasized that neighbourhoods featuring active rooftop rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge systems maintained stable groundwater levels through the peak summer heat.
