The Pioneer 08.12.2010
4 MCD officials suspended for Lalita Park lapse
Staff Reporter | New Delhi
Exactly after 22 days of building collapse incident in Lalita Park area, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) finally suspended four errant officials under whose tenure ill-fated building was illegally raised up to five floors. In its enquiry report, Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) has indicted then Assistant Engineer Rakesh Kumar, Junior Engineer CP Singh, House Tax Inspector RK Bansal and an Inspector from Factory Licensing Department Ram Dass for dereliction of their duties.
According to sources, the in house enquiry report says that the four and fifth floor of N 85 were added illegally in 2005 and these engineers from Shahdara south zone did not initiate any action against the property owner. He also said the CVO also found Vimal Sharma, another inspector of Factory Licensing Department guilty in its finding but he has died. “Bansal was House Tax inspector and Ram Dass was posted as Licensing Inspector in Shahdara south zone have also been suspended in 2005. It was found in 2005 also, a factory was being run unlawfully in N 85 of Lalita Park. It was residential complex and on the contrary commercial activities were going on and the inspector did not act,” said he. On November 15, a multi storyed building has collapsed claiming 70 innocent lives and leaving about 70 critically injured.
Soon after the incident, a CVO enquiry was ordered by the Municipal Commissioner KS Mehra. He has said the report will be submitted within a week and action will be taken against the culprit. Later, the Delhi Government also ordered for a judicial enquiry into the matter also. But since then MCD kept shifting the deadline saying records pertaining to the ill-fated structure has been missing. At one point of time, it was also being speculated that the civic body is apprehensive about its in house probe and waiting for the finding of judicial probe to come. However, the civic body was under severe and constant pressure from all quarters over the delay in CVO report.
Meanwhile Standing Committee Yogender Chandolia also confirmed the suspension of these officials.
