Rahul Gandhi to meet Indore water tragedy victims:To visit city on Jan 17; Cong workers to hold ‘bhajan protest’ in front of Mahatma Gandhi statues

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Indore on 17 January to meet families affected by contaminated water. On the same day, the Congress plans a statewide protest, including a collective fast in every block of Gandhi statues in Madhya Pradesh, to highlight the crisis and other issues. Programme finalised by AICC Congress organisation in-charge Sanjay Kamle said the visit date has been approved by the All India Congress Committee (AICC). Detailed plans are still being worked out and will be announced soon. Meetings with victim families During his visit, Rahul Gandhi will meet families affected by the contaminated water incident in Indore. Congress leaders say the visit is meant to show solidarity with victims and press for accountability. On 17 January, Congress leaders across Madhya Pradesh will hold sit-ins and sing bhajans in front of statues of Mahatma Gandhi. The party will also protest at the block level against the renaming of the MNREGA scheme by the Centre. Tributes will be paid to victims of the Indore water tragedy during these programmes. 23 deaths linked to contaminated water So far, 23 people have died in Indore due to contaminated water. The Congress had earlier taken out a Nyay Yatra (Justice March) on 11 January. The march saw participation from Congress MLAs, former MLAs, office bearers, and district presidents from Indore and nearby areas. Senior leaders including Jitendra Patwari, Umang Singhar, and Digvijaya Singh were present. Hospital situation update Five new diarrhoea cases were reported on Tuesday, though none were serious. The number of hospitalised patients has dropped from 39 to 33. Out of these, 10 patients are in the ICU, and three remain on ventilators. Their condition has shown little improvement. The three patients on ventilators are Eknath Suryavanshi, Parvatibai, and Hiralal. All are elderly. Doctors said other patients are recovering gradually. Total cases so far A total of 436 patients have been admitted since the outbreak began. Health Department Survey underway On Tuesday, 187 Health Department staff conducted a survey in Bhagirathpura. Women and children were examined. Tests for blood pressure, sugar levels, and anaemia were carried out. In the past three days, 16,208 residents have been examined. ASHA workers advised residents to drink only boiled water and complete prescribed medicines. Pipeline repairs in progress Repair work on the damaged pipeline in Bhagirathpura is still ongoing. Some connections need to be disconnected from the main line before full water supply can resume. Water supply was briefly restored at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, but only for testing. The supply was limited to Bhagirathpura New Basti. Residents were told not to use the water. During the test run, 10 water samples were collected from different locations. Chlorine levels were found to be within the required standard. Final laboratory reports are expected within two days.