Faeces in water tank: Stalin assures strict action

CHENNAI: Replying to a special call attention motion moved by the members of the opposition parties, Chief Minister MK Stalin told the Assembly that severe action would be taken against those who mixed human faeces in water stored in the overhead tank at Vengaivayal village in Pudukkottai.  

The special call attention motion was moved by a team of opposition MLAs, including M Chinnadurai, SS Balaji, T Ramachandran, MH Jawahirullah, T Velmurugan, GK Mani, K Selvaperunthagai and C Vijayabaskar. 

The chief minister said the collector and the superintendent of police visited the village on December 27, and appropriate steps were being taken by the departments concerned. Speaking about the treatment being given to the affected people, Stalin said, a team of medical officers had been camping in the village and conducting clinical tests since December 26. Currently, a team of health staff led by block medical officer, three nurses, two hospital staff, three health inspectors and 10 employees had been stationed at the village, he said.

Elaborating on the action taken to ensure safe and clean drinking water, he said the overhead water tank and mini tanks of the village were cleaned and all the drinking water taps sterilised. Subsequently, water samples from the tank were collected and tested in a lab, and they had been certified as safe for drinking. 

The chief minister said the government laid new pipelines in at a cost of Rs 2 lakh and had been supplying drinking water to the 32 houses in the village since January 5. Besides, steps were taken to construct a new overhead water tank in the village at a cost of Rs 7 lakh and drinking water was being supplied to the village in the morning and evening through tanker lorries, he said.

Stalin said a case had been registered based on a complaint and a special investigation wing was formed under the district police superintendent to investigate the incident. “So far, 70 people have been interrogated. Appropriate steps will be taken to arrest the culprits,” he said.