Even in Indore, which is yet to restore its composure after more than 700 people had died due to the contamination of water, one of the most important government offices in the city has come up with a case of blatant negligence by the authorities. The Indore Development Authority (IDA), in charge of planning and development of the city, has been caught giving visitors and employees expired bottled drinking water, which was of great concern for the health of the people and the level of responsibility of the administration.
Bottled water available in the IDA guest office to reception guests, and without time limitation, was established to have a packaging date of November 23, 2024. There are clear labels stating the date of expiry, which is Before 90 Days, or the water expires in February 2025. Appalling is the fact that the same bottles are being served as late as 2026 and much beyond the safe time of consumption of these products.
A member of the authority, who admitted that he was anonymous, said that even office workers do not trust the water provided. The majority of the employees carry drinking water as they come home. The bottled water stored in the office is mostly to meet guests and holding meetings, the employee remarked. The water supplier, according to the personnel, just leaves cartons and does not check them at all, as well as no one ensures expiry dates or quality of stocks.
The exposure highlights the existence of a bigger system failure. Bottled water is bought on a yearly basis with the help of public funds; however, it seems there is no system to check the quality, expiry, or safety standards. There is the clearing of bills, the acceptance of supplies, and an apparent neglect of the responsibility of public health.
The event is more worrying considering that the deaths that occurred recently in Indore over Bhagirathpura are a result of drinking polluted water. After this tragedy, authorities had warned to closely monitor and take corrective actions. Nevertheless, the state of affairs in the IDA office indicates that nothing much has changed.
Health scientists caution that bacterial infections and other severe diseases, such as food poisoning, can be caused by the use of expired bottled water, and they are mainly more harmful to the health of children, older people, and those with underlying health disorders that are being dealt with.
When it is not even safe to drink water within the government offices, critics are asking how far the management intends to go to protect common citizens. The episode has increased the pressure to provide accountability, tough inspections, and provide corrective examples to avoid additional threats to health.
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