Hardia Slams Indore Municipal Corporation Over Poor Supply: Congress Alleges ‘Theft’ Through Pipeline Bias

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The worsening water crisis in Indore has triggered political tensions and public anger, exposing cracks within the ruling BJP and sparking confrontation between BJP and Congress corporators.

Indore-5 BJP MLA Mahendra Hardia, who reportedly expressed strong displeasure over the drinking water shortage in his constituency and walked out of a bhoomipujan programme on Sunday, blamed the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) for poor water distribution.

"The overhead tanks are not being filled to the required capacity. For example, the tank in Mayor Nagar should be filled up to five metres, but it is being filled only up to two metres. Angry residents are reaching my house every day. This is a failure of the IMC," Hardia told reporters on Monday.

The issue escalated further on Monday when Ward 45 Congress corporator Sonila Mimrot and Ward 26 BJP corporator Lalbahadur Verma, along with their supporters, confronted each other in Nehru Nagar. Police intervened to bring the situation under control.

Mimrot alleged irregularities in the laying of a new water pipeline, claiming that the pipeline in her ward was laid only 2.5 feet deep, while the one in Verma's ward was laid at a depth of five feet. Since both pipelines are connected, she alleged that water meant for her ward would flow towards Verma's area.

"This is nothing but water theft. I have informed Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav that riots may break out between residents of the two wards if the matter is not resolved," Mimrot said.

Verma denied the allegations and maintained that the pipeline work was executed by the IMC according to technical norms and rules.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Umang Singhar targeted the BJP government over the crisis. In a social media post, Singhar said that if BJP legislators themselves were frustrated over the water shortage, the suffering of ordinary citizens could be imagined.

He alleged that despite remaining in power in Madhya Pradesh for more than two decades, the BJP had failed to ensure adequate drinking water supply to households.

Referring to schemes such as the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Jal Jeevan Mission, Singhar questioned their implementation and alleged delays despite large budgetary allocations.

Citing information previously presented in the Assembly, Singhar claimed that ?2,786 crore had been sanctioned under the AMRUT scheme during the past three years, but no expenditure had been recorded in Indore.