Indore water deaths preventable, delayed pipeline tenders contributed to tragedy: judicial panel

Delays of up to 859 days in tender processes for replacing old and damaged water and sewer pipelines in Indore's Bhagirathpura contributed to the contaminated drinking water tragedy in the area, a judicial commission has concluded.

The tragedy, which claimed several lives, could have been prevented had the pipeline replacement work been completed on time, it noted.

The one-member commission headed by former Madhya Pradesh High Court Judge Sushil Kumar Gupta made the observations in its more than 600-page final report submitted to the HC, which had appointed the panel to probe the deaths linked to consumption of contaminated drinking water in Bhagirathpura in India's cleanest city.

Tender delays contributed to the tragedy

The commission found serious delays in key tenders for replacing damaged pipelines and laying new ones, attributing them to red tape and administrative laxity in the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC).

"If the tenders had been finalized within a reasonable time and the replacement work had been completed before the occurrence of the incident, there existed a significant possibility that the damaged pipelines would have been replaced and the contamination incident could have been prevented," the report stated.

"Therefore, the delay in execution of the replacement work cannot be treated as a mere procedural lapse, but constitutes a contributing factor in the occurrence of the incident," it said.

In one pipeline project, the process, from inviting tenders to completion of the work, took as long as 859 days, the report pointed out.

In another tender process, then-additional municipal commissioner Rohit Sisonia recorded only "Discuss" on the file on October 15, 2025. Despite this, executive engineer Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava did not hold the discussion for 64 days until December 18, 2025, said the panel.

Following the discussion, the file was sent again on December 26 for approval to open the financial bid, resulting in a total delay of 72 days in disposing of the "Discuss" note, it maintained.

The commission termed the delay, for which it found no concrete reason, unjustified and described it as serious administrative laxity and gross negligence in work related to public health and infrastructure.

Commission recommends action against officials

The report held executive engineer Srivastava and contractors primarily responsible for delays in the tender process and completion of the work.

It recommended a detailed departmental inquiry and appropriate legal action against Srivastava, other officials concerned and other parties involved.

Contaminated water linked to illnesses and deaths

Water samples collected from Bhagirathpura were found to contain bacteria, including E. coli and total coliform, confirming contamination, the report said.

The contaminated water led to water-borne illnesses, including gastroenteritis, vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration, among residents, it said.

The outbreak came to light in December 2025, when people in Bhagirathpura fell ill after contaminated drinking water was supplied to the area. Local residents and the Opposition Congress have claimed that 36 people have died in the outbreak.

The report said records showed contaminated water continued to be supplied in Bhagirathpura until February 6 this year.

This meant residents continued to consume contaminated water for several days after the disease outbreak came to light in the locality predominantly inhabited by people from lower and middle-income groups.

According to the report, the Health Department was informed by February 12 about 35 deaths in Bhagirathpura, of which 22 were considered possibly related to the contaminated drinking water incident.