Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Former chief minister Kamal Nath said that Congress will file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Madhya Pradesh High Court if all illegal constructions from stepwells were not removed in seven days.
He alleged that the local civic body did not pull down the unauthorised constructions on the stepwell due to pressure from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Nath was talking to the media after paying condolences to the family members of those killed in the Beleshwar Mahadev Temple tragedy, on Saturday.
He also alleged that illegal constructions carried out on the stepwell led to the Indore temple tragedy in which 36 people lost their lives.
The former chief minister also announced that if the Congress is voted to power in the upcoming state Assembly polls, his party-led government will enact a law for mandatory security audit of public places in the state.
"This incident is a result of illegal construction done on the stepwell, which has tarnished the image of Indore in the country and the world. Indore is called a 'smart city', but the local administration did not have the necessary equipment to rescue the people who fell into the stepwell after the accident," he said.
Nath also targeted Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan by calling his visit a ‘Show Off’.
The Congress leader had also visited the private hospital, where those injured in the incident are undergoing treatment, to enquire about their health. Thirty-six persons, including 21 women and two children, died after the stepwell floor caved in on Thursday.
Will form Rapid Rescue Force
The former chief minister also raised questions over the delay in rescue operation and said that the bereaved families told me that the rescue couldn’t be started on time and the Army was called in 12 hours after the mishap, but it was too late by then.
“If voted to power, we will constitute a Rapid Rescue Force in all major cities of the state to deal with accidents and will start rescue in 15 minutes of the calamity,” he added.
