Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the reasons for outbreak of jaundice in Shimla and surrounding areas today cracked down on pump operators of Ashwani Khud water supply scheme and questioned 10 operators for several hours.
Investigations are on and more arrests are not ruled out. Some pump operators may also be taken into custody, said SP Shimla, DW Negi adding that the SIT was also recording the statements of prominent citizens under section 161.
Meanwhile, Judicial Magistrate today sent the Junior Engineer, Supervisor of Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP), Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) and the contractor to 14 days judicial custody on expiry of their police remand. The executive Engineer Vinod Thakur, who was arrested on January 31 was already on 14-day judicial custody.
The SIT has also recorded the statement of chairman of the action committee demanding shifting of sewerage treatment plant from Malyana and Dhalli and also placed on record, several letters written by him to concerned authorities about contamination of water. The contract for maintenance of STP has been cancelled but it would not absolve him of the allegations and negligence in maintenance of the plant leading to supply of contaminated water to the people due to mixing of sewage, SP said.
The SIT is probing the role of Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) officers to ascertain whether the standard norms for maintenance of water quality are adhered to ensure that the water was fit for human consumption.
The SIT team has reportedly found that there was no place for drying the muck and transporting it as there was no vehicular road and it was going back to water source during rains.
Whether the State Pollution Control Board had put in place the protocol to monitor the water quality at the STP and served notices to the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) and Health departments and Shimla Municipal Corporation would also be investigated.
Two more experts, a statistician to scan the data and a professor of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Hamirpur to deal with water testing procedures and related aspects have also been added to the SIT.
Investigations are on and more arrests are not ruled out. Some pump operators may also be taken into custody, said SP Shimla, DW Negi adding that the SIT was also recording the statements of prominent citizens under section 161.
Meanwhile, Judicial Magistrate today sent the Junior Engineer, Supervisor of Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP), Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) and the contractor to 14 days judicial custody on expiry of their police remand. The executive Engineer Vinod Thakur, who was arrested on January 31 was already on 14-day judicial custody.
The SIT has also recorded the statement of chairman of the action committee demanding shifting of sewerage treatment plant from Malyana and Dhalli and also placed on record, several letters written by him to concerned authorities about contamination of water. The contract for maintenance of STP has been cancelled but it would not absolve him of the allegations and negligence in maintenance of the plant leading to supply of contaminated water to the people due to mixing of sewage, SP said.
The SIT is probing the role of Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) officers to ascertain whether the standard norms for maintenance of water quality are adhered to ensure that the water was fit for human consumption.
The SIT team has reportedly found that there was no place for drying the muck and transporting it as there was no vehicular road and it was going back to water source during rains.
Whether the State Pollution Control Board had put in place the protocol to monitor the water quality at the STP and served notices to the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) and Health departments and Shimla Municipal Corporation would also be investigated.
Two more experts, a statistician to scan the data and a professor of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Hamirpur to deal with water testing procedures and related aspects have also been added to the SIT.
