Response irks KMC, three officials face disciplinary action
Times of India | 22 March 2024
Kolkata: The KMC on Thursday started disciplinary proceedings against three buildings department officials for failing to locate the unauthorized building that collapsed in Azhar Molla Bagan in Garden Reach killing 10 people. According to a KMC official, the disciplinary proceedings can lead to suspension of these officials. The officials — an assistant engineer and two sub-assistant engineers of borough XV — were served show-cause notices on Monday and asked to explain the reasons of failure.
According to a civic source, the three KMC officials said that it was not possible for them to man every narrow lane of Garden Reach due to dearth of manpower, and hence, the building in question could not be traced. “We are not satisfied with the reply and have started a disciplinary proceeding against these borough officials. This is a message we want to convey to all other officials across 16 boroughs,” said a KMC buildings department official posted at the civic headquarters.
In fact, armed with a diktat from the mayor’s office, the KMC buildings department bosses on Thursday asked the executive engineers of all 16 boroughs to keep tabs on the functioning of the assistant engineers and sub-assistant engineers.
The buildings department on Thursday show caused another sub-assistant engineer posted at borough III in the Kankurgachhi area for not discharging his duties properly. “Taking a lesson from the collapse of the building at Azhar Molla Bagan in Garden Reach, we have cautioned our officials at the boroughs not to neglect duties and report any incidence of illegal construction of buildings at the earliest,” said an official.
The three borough XV officials were transferred prior to the disciplinary proceedings against them. However, KMC buildings department sources conceded that after transfer of the officials, the borough XV office in Garden Reach has been left with only one executive engineer who is originally from the buildings department. “The rest of the officials who have joined the Garden Reach office are from other departments and lack experience in the functioning of the buildings department. This will make their work more challenging,” said a civic official.