An inquiry by a sitting High Court judge should be ordered to fix the responsibility and the families of those who died due to jaundice should be given compensation while patients should be given free treatment, party MLA from Shimla, Suresh Bharadwaj told mediapersons here.
Alleging that negligence by Irrigation and Public Health Department, Pollution Control Board and Shimla Municipal Corporation was responsible for outbreak of the epidemic, the former state BJP president said six persons have died while 15,000 are ailing but the government is not concerned and not responding adequately to the situation.
He said while the government has said that jaundice cases would continue to pour in till mid of February, it was apprehended that it would continue till end of the month as the families, which have gone out of station for the winter, would be returning and may fall ill by consumingcontaminated water stored in tanks.
The government should close the schools till February 20, he said.
He also raised serious objections over the setting up of a STP at Malyana in 2005, which was 6 km away from main water source of Ashwani Khud water supply scheme, and posed grave threat of contamination of water.