Two engineers of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have been suspended for failing to check the building bylaw violation that lled to the collapse of the six-storey building. Two persons succumbed to injuries in the incident.
Soon after hearing the news, BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayan rushed to the spot. He suspended two officials — Assistant Engineer Santosh and Assistant Executive Engineer Panchaksharaiah — of the Hombegowdanagar subdivision on the spot on finding that the building owner had violated bylaws.
Though the civic body had accorded permission for two floors, the owner had allegedly connived with the local BBMP officials and constructed four more floors illegally.
Mr. Lakshminarayan has warned the ward-level engineers of stringent action if such incidents recur. The ward-level engineers are expected to keep a tab of all the constructions in their jurisdiction and ensure that the BBMP’s building bylaws are not violated. If there are any violations, the engineers must issue notices to the owners of such buildings.
A senior BBMP official told The Hindu that the owner and the engineers must be held responsible for the building collapse. “While the BBMP is not responsible for the quality of construction, the engineers are obligated to ensure that building bylaws are not violated.” The quality of construction is the responsibility of the building owners, he added.
Local councillor M.. Udayshankar was not available for response, despite repeated attempts.
