Jaundice spread: Official arrested, another sent to custody

An official of Public Health Department here was arrested by SIT while another official of a sewerage treatment plant was sent to four-day police custody today in connection with alleged contamination of water that resulted in spread of jaundice in Shimla.
Sub-Divisional engineer of Irrigation and Public Health Department A C Chauhan, who was placed under suspension on January 25, was arrested today by the agency, SSP Shimla D W Negi said.
Contractor of Sewerage Treatment Plant at Malayana, who was the main accused in the case, was remanded to four days of police custody today, he said.
The special Investigation team was constituted by Shimla police to probe the causes for jaundice outbreak in Shimla town and fix the responsibility for the alleged lapses.

The number of total arrests made so far in this connection has gone up to four.
Earlier, a Junior Engineer and supervisor at the plant were arrested over alleged contamination of drinking water which led to spread of jaundice in Shimla.

The SIT is probing the matter and more arrests are likely to be made, Negi said.
The agency is inquiring into various aspects of the case and the role of IPH, Pollution Control Board and Health department to ascertain that whether it was just negligence or complicity.
"The SIT would mow focus on lifting of water samples to find out that why contaminated water allowed to be distributed to the residents when it was revealed that the water at Ashwani Khud water supply scheme was contaminated at the source due to mixing of sewage," Negi said.

The water supply from Ashwani khud had been stopped from January 2 last and the SMC had made it clear that the supply would not be resumed till the National Institute of Virology certified the water was safe for drinking purposes.
The number of jaundice cases has crossed the 1000 mark and the disease has spread from Shimla to Solan, prompting the government to take immediate effective steps to control the spread of the disease.