The high-level committee formed to probe hotel Levana Suites fire tragedy in the state capital, which claimed four lives on Monday, failed to submit its report to the state government on Thursday.
As per senior government officials, the committee comprising commissioner of police (CP), Lucknow, SB Shiradkar and divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob has completed the probe but compilation of report was still to be finalised.
The Lucknow CP confirmed that the report had yet not been submitted but did not share as to when the committee will do so. The officials, however, said the committee had largely completed its probe with the help of forensic experts, fire services and police personnel and a team of Lucknow Development Authority (LDA).
The officials said compiling the findings of the probe were causing dealy as it involved several aspects related to different departments that gave clearance to operate the hotel as well as other enforcement agencies. They said a DIG-level officer of fire services department had submit his findings to the committee and the LDA officials had also given their report.
They said the team of forensic experts had informed the probe panel about the primary findings but was yet to submit its detailed findings about the tragedy. Earlier, the fire services officials examined each and every part of the hotel to ascertain the cause of fire, while the police and fire services team investigated the fire safety arrangements and other lapses on the hotel premises. The LDA team had assessed the flaws in the building’s construction.
{{/usCountry}}They said the team of forensic experts had informed the probe panel about the primary findings but was yet to submit its detailed findings about the tragedy. Earlier, the fire services officials examined each and every part of the hotel to ascertain the cause of fire, while the police and fire services team investigated the fire safety arrangements and other lapses on the hotel premises. The LDA team had assessed the flaws in the building’s construction.
{{/usCountry}}“During probe, the police and fire services team had found several flaws at the site, including poor arrangements of evacuation, defective fire-fighting equipment, improper training of hotel staff and improper construction at numerous points,” said a police officer.
According to the officer, it was also found out that all four lives could have been saved if the arrangements were adequate. “The team found liquor bottles on the second floor, and there is a bar on the floor above it. Experts said due to the inflammable nature of alcohol, the fire tore open liquor bottles, causing the flames to spread to the third floor,” he added.
The police had earlier filed an FIR under IPC sections 304 (causing death due to negligent act), 308 (risking people’s lives by making them unconscious with their act) against four people, including the hotel’s two owners Rahul and Rohit Agarwal, Rohit’s father Pawan Agarwal and the hotel’s general manager Sagar Srivastava on Monday evening.
Three of them, including Rahul, Rohit Agarwal and Sagar Srivastava, were sent to 14 days’ judicial custody on Tuesday. The allegations mentioned in the FIR lodged on the complaint of Hazratganj police station senior sub-inspector Daya Shankar Dwivedi had stated that no fire safety measures were in place at the hotel. Besides, the hotel did not have emergency entry and exit routes.