SIT questions pump operators of Ashwani Khud

After the arrest of Contractor of Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP), Executive Engineer, Assistant Engineer, Junior Engineer and the Supervisor in jaundice outbreak case in Shimla and surrounding areas, the Special Investigation team today summoned pump operators of Ashwani Khud water supply scheme.
The SIT today summoned 10 pump operators and quizzed them for more than five hours to extract information regarding the protocol at the source for maintaining the quality of water and to ascertain that whether the operators were aware that the water at the source was contaminated due to mixing of sewage.
The SIT probe is progressing and more arrests including the arrest of some Pump operators is not ruled out, SP, Shimla DW Negi said.

Meanwhile, the contractor Akshay Dogar, Assistant Engineer, Junior Engineer and Supervisor, whose police remand expired today were sent 14 days judicial custody by a local Court.
The Executive Engineer, Vinod Thakur, who was arrested on January 31 was already on 14 days judicial remand.
The state government has cancelled the maintenance contract and focus is now on lifting of water, role of concerned officers of Pollution Control Board and Shimla Municipal Corporation.

The SIT is likely to question the SMC officials to ascertain whether it was in the knowledge of the SMC officers that the water being distributed to the residents in Shimla and surrounding areas was contaminated.

The SIT team has found that there was no provision for drying the muck at the lifting point and also there was no vehicular road to lift the dried muck which was flowing into the source and contaminating the water.
Meanwhile, more people with jaundice cases have come to the hospitals.