Three engineers of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s building department who were suspended after an alleged illegal under-construction building in Garden Reach collapsed in March killing 13 people have been “allowed to join” duties, the civic body said in an order on Thursday.
The three were in charge of the Garden Reach area. However, they will not be allowed to resume duties in the building department, a senior KMC official said.
The three — an assistant engineer, an executive engineer and a sub-assistant engineer — were suspended in April based on an interim report by an inquiry committee set up by the KMC. The committee had not recommended suspension.
“There were two simultaneous investigations, one by the KMC and the other by the police. The engineers were suspended to thwart any possibility of influencing the inquiries. Now that the probes are almost over, asking them to resume work is no problem. There were no court orders instructing the civic body either to suspend or not suspend the three,” said another KMC official.
“But if any of the probes finds them guilty, action will be taken against them as per the service rules,” the official said.
The three engineers have been getting their salaries during their suspension, said sources.
“Since findings/report in the proceedings has already been submitted, there is hardly any scope to influence the inquiry proceedings by the charged official... Now, therefore suspension of... is hereby withdrawn and... is allowed to join duties, but subject to the order of the Hon’ble Court, if any...,” says the suspension withdrawal order of the three engineers signed by the municipal commissioner.
The civic body did not know about the existence of the under-construction building in Garden Reach’s Azhar Molla Bagan until it collapsed, crushing people to death under its weight.
Most of those who were killed or injured lived in shanties adjoining the building.