Bhopal News: 3 BMC Officials Get Show-Cause Notices Over Chhath Lapse

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday issued show-cause notices to three officials — one Assistant Health Officer (AHO) and two sanitary inspectors — for negligence in cleanliness arrangements at over 52 Chhath Puja ghats across the city.

Those served notices are Zone 6 in-charge AHO Ankit Gautam, Ward 29 Sanitary Inspector Saurabh Chauhan, and Ward 26 Sanitary Inspector Raju Khare.

The action follows an inspection by senior BMC officials on Saturday to assess the preparations for Chhath Puja. During their visit to several ghats, they found serious lapses in cleanliness: piles of garbage and scattered waste at Bansal Ghat, broken glass bottles, bushes, and litter at Police Line Ghat, and layers of dust and plastic waste at Prempura Ghat.

The officials ordered on-the-spot cleaning operations. However, as Sunday was a holiday, formal show-cause notices were issued on Monday, directing the officials to explain the lapses and ensure immediate corrective action.

Heaps of Durga Visarjan waste not cleared 

Despite clear instructions from Commissioner Sanskriti Jain to remove all garbage from the ghats before the festival, heaps of Durga Visarjan waste were still visible near Prempura Ghat, just 100 metres from the lakeshore, even as thousands of devotees performed rituals on Monday.

Lighting at Kaliyasot

In another instance, the AHO of Ward 30 had to make repeated appeals over wireless radio to restore lighting at the ghat near the Valmiki statue by Kaliyasot Dam, which remained in darkness until the streetlights were switched on after multiple requests.