Noida authority takes action against staff over 2020 fire incident

The fire had broken out in the accounts and industry department at the ground floor of the building around 9pm on May 25, 2020, after the closure of the office

Noida authority chief executive officer (CEO) Ritu Maheshwari is taking action against the staff who are responsible for the May 2020 fire incident at its administrative building in Sector 6, officials said on Thursday.

Noida authority chief executive officer (CEO) Ritu Maheshwari is taking action against the staff who are responsible for the May 2020 fire incident . (HT Archive)

The fire had broken out in the accounts and industry department at the ground floor of the building around 9pm on May 25, 2020, after the closure of the office. A six-member committee was formed to investigate and find out the reason, and the people responsible for the incident.

“The probe has been completed and we have taken action against staff members responsible, according to the report,” said Maheshwari on Thursday.

According to the report, the fire broke out because the staff had not switched off lights while leaving the office, and important files which were kept on office tables rather than the almirah also burnt during the incident. The officials said that Maheshwari has given a bad entry to four staffers of the accounts department, and has issued a warning to two other staffers for negligence, the report added.

“Punishment like a bad entry or a warning affects promotion and salary hike of an employee,” said a Noida authority official, requesting anonymity.

The Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) has blacklisted a private firm for a similar fire incident in the Noida Metro office in Sector 29 in June 2021. “We have blacklisted the firm because the fire equipment and censors did not function properly during the fire incident,” said an official of the NMRC.