3-member panel to probe Lucknow building collapse

The committee formed on the direction of chief minister Yogi Adityanath will be headed by Sanjeev Gupta, secretary (Home), who has been made the panel’s chairman

The Yogi Adityanath government formed a three-member committee on Sunday to probe the Transport Nagar building collapse incident here that claimed eight lives and injured 28 people in the state capital on Saturday.

View of the building that collapsed, at Transport Nagar, in Lucknow on Saturday. Reportedly, 8 died and 28 injured in the incident. (ANI)

The committee formed on the direction of chief minister Yogi Adityanath will be headed by Sanjeev Gupta, secretary (Home), who has been made the panel’s chairman, according to an official statement.

Balkar Singh, secretary of the housing and urban planning department, and Vijay Kannaujia, chief engineer, public works department, are the two other members of the committee.

The government has not fixed any time frame for the committee to submit its report.

In its order, the government has asked the committee to complete the probe and submit the report at the earliest.

“The inquiry committee is expected to investigate the cause of the incident and submit its report to the government as soon as possible,” the statement read.

Even as the probe into the collapse of the Harmilap building has been announced, fingers are being pointed at the material used in construction of the building.

The building, spread over 10,000 sq feet, collapsed on Saturday, leaving Lucknow administration officials clueless about reasons for the mishap.

The probe committee will have the task of ascertaining the reasons for the collapse and fixing responsibility.

The committee may also take help from experts to ascertain reasons for the incident and suggest measures to prevent such mishaps in future.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL UNDER A CLOUD

Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) officials and experts have raised suspicion over the construction material that was used in the building.

“It is possible that poor quality construction material was used in the building. Poor quality of iron rods and inadequate cement might have been used in the construction,” said an LDA official not willing to be named.

FLAW IN FOUNDATION?

While laying the foundation of the building, set standards were allegedly not followed.

“Foundation is the backbone of any building. In all likelihood, it is possible that the building’s foundation was faulty or poor material was used in the foundation work,” added the official.

NO DRAINAGE

Lack of drainage in the area might have caused water to seep into the building’s foundation.

“The already weak foundation of the building might have further worsened due to constant seepage of water,” said an LDA official.

Waterlogging is a major problem in the entire Transport Nagar where rainwater enters the basement in some buildings due to choked drains during the monsoon.

Besides, officials have ruled out the possibility of a truck scraping building’s pillar triggering the incident, a theory that was speculated upon hours after the building collapse on Saturday.