Report on unauthorised Vadapalani building trashed

Incidentally, the building was demolished on Tuesday, the day the court took cognisance of its existence and summoned the Commissioner. The second bench comprising Justice Vineet Kothari and Justice Anita Sumanth on taking stock of the status report submitted by GCC, commissioner D Karthikeyan who appeared in person, trashed the report as devoid of details.

Directing him to file a report with specific details about the compensation granted to the victims and the action taken against the erring officials by December 5, the bench wondered as to how nothing had transpired despite a lapse of over a year since the accident occurred.

Seeking to know whether the Corporation officials have embarked on a deep slumber, the bench raised certain pertinent questions about Corporation inaction including uncleared garbage lying on Marina beach.

The bench further observed that the court cannot run the State government and the Corporation.

Earlier, the Commissioner had submitted in the status report that even as a work order was given on May 3, 2017 to demolish the unauthorised building at South Perumal Koil Street, Vadapalani, the fire accident took place on May 8, 2017 in which a part of the building was damaged.

But with the building owner refusing to pay the cost of demolition, the Corporation undertook the task to demolish it and recover the cost later, and demolished the fourth floor of the building during September 2018, at which time the monsoon commenced.

The report further claimed that when the case came up for hearing on November 27, 2018, it was brought to the knowledge of the administration that the unauthorised building was not demolished completely. Thereafter, on providing necessary safety measures the entire building was demolished the same day.

Now, only the demolition debris remains in the site, which will be cleared in another two to three days, the report said before adding that for the delay in causing the demolition, the concerned Assistant Executive Engineer was suspended on November 27 and disciplinary action initiated against the zonal officer for the supervisory lapse.

With regards to action initiated immediately after the accident, the status report claimed that the Junior Engineer, Division 130 was placed under suspension and three officers were served with charge memos and a departmental disciplinary action initiated.

But since the report of the inquiry officer was not satisfactory, a fresh enquiry by another officer is in progress, the status report trashed by the bench said.