Udupi: Over 1,000 people fall ill in two villages after drinking contaminated water
Udupi (Karnataka), Oct 4: More than one thousand residents at Uppunda in Udupi district fell ill after drinking contaminated water from a local overhead water tank, Health Department officials said on Friday.
"The condition of none of them is serious. Most of them have already recovered with proper medication from the local health centre," an official said.
The affected, mostly from Karki Kalli and Madikal wards of Uppunda Gram Panchayat in Byndoor taluk, had reported symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, they said.
"Many households witnessed multiple family members displaying similar symptoms, with several homes reporting three or more individuals being affected after drinking water from overhead water tank in Kasinadi," an official said.
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The Udupi district health officer Dr I P Gadadh said strains of "waterborne pathogen salmonella bacillary" were found in the water supplied to the two wards.
“We have sent a team to investigate this condition to both villages and the nearby villages that use the same water source, on September 30 and we had found the strains of this bacteria in 56 cases. Till today, we have found about 150 cases," he said.
According to Gram Panchayat members of the two wards, there was no water supply for three days before this incident and thereafter, the villages got muddy water and those who filtered or boiled it before drinking had no symptoms.
"We are investigating the cause for the supply of muddy water," Gadadh said.
Local residents blamed poor maintenance of the water tank for the contamination of water.
The water supply from the Kasinadi overhead tank has been suspended.
Villagers have demanded an investigation into the incident and immediate measures to address the issue, officials said.
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Cong's countrywide protest on Wednesday against VB-G RAM-G bill replacing MGNREGA
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress will hold protests across the country on Wednesday against the Centre's rural employment bill VB-G RAM G that seeks to replace MGNREGA, claiming it was a "BJP-RSS conspiracy" to dismantle a rights-based welfare scheme and attack Mahatma Gandhi's legacy, workers' rights and federal responsibility.
The opposition party's general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal, in a letter to all state Congress presidents, urged them to organise protests at all district headquarters.
These protests must be held with portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, symbolising resistance to the erasure of his name and values, and highlight how the proposed law will impact the crores of beneficiaries of MGNREGA, he said in the letter.
"The combined attack on Gandhiji's legacy, workers' rights and federal responsibility exposes a larger BJP-RSS conspiracy to dismantle rights-based welfare and replace it with charity controlled from the Centre," Venugopal said.
The opposition has strongly objected to the introduction of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, when it was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday.
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The Congress and other opposition MPs also staged a protest in Parliament House complex over the Centre's move.
In the letter to the Congress state unit chief, Venugopal said that on December 28, the party's Foundation Day, programmes should be organised at all blocks and villages, with Mahatma Gandhi's portraits, reaffirming the party's commitment to the dignity of labour, social justice and the right to work.
"This is both a political and moral struggle. The Congress must lead from the front to defend MGNREGA, Gandhiji's legacy and the constitutional promise of justice for the poorest," Venugopal said in a post on X.
In his letter, he said the BJP government has taken an alarming and deliberate step by introducing a bill to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
"This is not a routine legislative exercise. It is a calculated political move to weaken a historical, rights-based people's law and to erase Mahatma Gandhi's name and values from India's most recognisable welfare legislation.
"This combined attack on Gandhiji's legacy, rights and federal responsibility exposes a larger BJP-RSS conspiracy to dismantle rights-based welfare and replace it with charity controlled from the Centre," he noted.
