The Madhya Pradesh government on Friday told the High Court that the Bhagirathpura health crisis in Indore has been declared a "public health contingency" and that the situation has stabilised after emergency interventions and continuous monitoring.
In a detailed 40-page status report with annexures submitted before the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the sub-divisional magistrate said the state had taken all necessary measures and had not treated the incident as a "routine medical issue".
The report was filed in response to a Public Interest Litigation by Ritesh Inani, president of the Indore High Court Bar Association.
According to the report, the outbreak of diarrhoeal illness is now under effective control, with minute to minute surveillance in place to prevent any resurgence. "No abnormal increase in fresh cases has been reported," it said.
The state government provided a detailed medical status of affected residents as of 2 January. A total of 294 patients were admitted across various health facilities since the outbreak began, of whom 93 have been treated and discharged.
Of the remaining 201 patients, 32 were admitted to Intensive Care Units.
The report placed the death toll from the diarrhoeal outbreak at four. However, Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said he had received information about 10 deaths linked to a diarrhoea outbreak caused by contaminated water.
On the ground, joint survey teams comprising officials from the district administration, municipal corporation and health department are conducting door to door screenings in the affected areas.
The teams are identifying new cases and distributing preventive ORS sachets and zinc tablets to prevent symptoms from worsening.
Medical surveillance remains at its peak through Urban Primary Health Centres and Mukhyamantri Sanjeevani Clinics.
At the same time, a statutory investigation into the source of the illness and water quality is underway.
The government assured the court that "appropriate action shall be taken strictly in accordance with law" once final reports establish the cause of contamination.
The status report also countered allegations in the PIL that victims were left without assistance.
It cited a directive issued on 30 December mandating that all private hospitals provide completely free treatment, including diagnostics and medicines, to all affected persons.
Hospitals were directed not to refuse admission to any patient from the affected area and to charge no fees, with the state government guaranteeing full reimbursement to private facilities.
The government described the step as a "humanitarian and welfare oriented approach" to ensure uninterrupted access to healthcare.
While stating that "no amount of monetary assistance can ever compensate for the loss of human life," the state said it has provided ex gratia assistance of Rs 2,00,000 to the families of the deceased as immediate support.
Chief minister Mohan Yadav has ordered disciplinary action against senior officials of the Indore Municipal Corporation, including the immediate transfer of an additional commissioner.
He also directed the issuance of show-cause notices to the municipal commissioner and additional commissioner during a review meeting, and ordered the withdrawal of charge of the water distribution works department from the in-charge superintendent engineer.
Senior MP cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday triggered a controversy after he used an objectionable word on camera — ghanta (loosely translating to nonsense) — when questioned by a TV journalist about the water contamination incident.
In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly speaks about his government’s Jal Jeevan Mission but has remained silent on deaths caused by contaminated water in Indore, which is often projected as the country’s "cleanest city".