Lucknow 11th September : The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, around midnight on Saturday, suspended 15 officials due to an alleged lack of vigilance in the context with the Levana Suites hotel fire which claimed the lives of four in Lucknow on the 5th of September.Additionally, actions according to applicable rules could be initiated against four former officials.
The steps are part of an in-depth investigation that points towards the possibility of “connivance” in connection with the operation of the Lucknow hotel where the fire was sparked.
A departmental inquiry has been arranged against the officials, too.
A government spokesperson said the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued a directive for a strict response following the receipt of the report of Police Commissioner S.B.Shirodkar as well as Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Roshan Jacob, who conducted a top-level investigation into the incident.
The report, which was presented in the early hours of Saturday also showed that officials didn’t raise a red flag about numerous violations in the hotel’s premises, those who were aware of the incident told.
The chief minister had established the committee which included Shirodkar and Jacob shortly after the incident.
The five departments where officers are in the line of action are the departments of energy, home appointment, housing, urban planning (Lucknow Development Authority) and excise.
Sushil Yadav, then fire officer at the time, Yogendra Prasad Yadav, the fire officer (II) chief of the fire department Vijay Kumar Singh, assistant director (electricity security) Vijay Kumar Rao, assistant engineer Ashish Kumar Mishra, sub divisional officers Rajesh Kumar Mishra, Mahendra Kumar Mishra PCS (then the authority in charge) Lucknow Development Authority have been placed under suspension.
A departmental inquiry will also be launched against them.
Others suspended includes Lucknow Development Authority’s assistant engineer Rakesh Mohan (housing and urban planning department) and junior engineer Jitendra Nath Dubey and junior engineer Ravindra Kumar Srivastava, junior engineer Jaivir Singh and Ram Pratap Mate The district’s excise officer Santosh Kumar Tiwari, excise inspector sector 1 Amit Kumar Srivastava as well as the deputy excise commissioner (Lucknow) Jainendra Upadhyay.
The lawful action would be taken against the chief firefighters (retired) Abhay Bhan Pandey, LDA executive engineer (retired) Arun Kumar Singh, executive engineer (retired) Om Prakash Mishra and assistant engineer (retired) Ganeshi Dutt Singh.
The report also noted several flaws with regards to the exit and entry routes, ventilation , and defective fire-safety devices, those who were aware of the issue said.
The joint report revealed a number of deficiencies were found in the firefighting equipment in the hotel.
Additionally, it was discovered that even though the firefighting equipment was inadequate however, the fire department had issued an NOC to the hotel.
The report said that there was not an emergency exit, however no city department opposed it.In addition there were no notices issued to the hotel informing them of these flaws.
Furthermore, the parking area in the basement was utilized to store other objects in lieu of parking automobiles.
The kitchen’s wiring was exposed, that exposed all to flames in the event of short-circuits.
The bar was said to be operational without the safety equipment needed to put out flames.
In addition, there were inadequate arrangements for evacuation, inadequate training of hotel employees and poor construction at a variety of locations.
An officer from the police force who inspected the area had earlier stated that alcohol bottles had been discovered on the third floor and there was an area with a bar above it.He believed that because of the inherent flammability of alcohol the fire was able to eat through the bottles of liquor, which caused the flames to extend to the third floor.
Shirodkar declared, “We finalised the report late on Friday night and then signed it at around 12 a.m.on Saturday and Friday at midnight.The report was given to the state government.”
The police had lodged an FIR in the Indian Penal Code sections 304 (causing death as a result of negligence act) 308 (risking the lives of others by making the victims unconscious with their conduct) against four individuals including the hotel’s owners Rahul and Rohit Agarwal Rohit’s father Pawan Agarwal and the general manager of the hotel Sagar Srivastava.Three of them three of them – Rahul, Rohit Agarwal and Sagar Srivastava were sentenced to 14 days of judicial custody.
The allegations made in the FIR filed in response to the complaint of Hazratganj police station’s the senior sub-inspector Daya Shankar Dwivedi claimed that there were no fire security measures were in the hotel.Additionally the hotel didn’t have emergency exit or entry routes.
–IANDamita/shs
