Residents protest prompts Greater Noida authority to blacklist contractor

GREATER NOIDA: The Greater Noida authority has blacklisted a contractor for using poor quality material in constructing a rain shelter at a crematorium in Rani Rampur

GREATER NOIDA: The Greater Noida authority has blacklisted a contractor for using poor quality material in constructing a rain shelter at a crematorium in Rani Rampur. This follows a protest staged by residents on Tuesday morning at the authority’s Sector Knowledge Park IV office after pillars of the under-construction structure were found to be structurally weak.

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Surendra Singh, chief executive officer, Greater Noida authority has asked staff to demolish the pillars and rebuild them. “We have directed staff to raze down the weak pillars and blacklist the contractor engaged for the job,” he said. The authority is, however, unable to act against the concerned engineer because he was transferred to Kanpur recently, officials said. Twelve pillars were constructed to support the roof of the rain shelter.

“We noticed that authority staff and the contractor were using only sand without mixing adequate quantity of cement to build the pillars. When we checked, the pillars started crumbling at touch. We met Greater Noida authority officials who assured us of instant intervention,” said Praveen Bharatiya, founder and president, Corruption Free Indian Sangthan, a social group which led Tuesday’s protest.

“We decided to protest and demanded immediate action because at least 25 people were killed in January last year after a similar shelter in Ghaziabad collapsed during cremation in the rainy season. The authority must file an FIR against its officials and the contractor,” said Prem Pradhan, a Rani Rampur resident who took part in the protest.

According to the authority, maintenance work at the cremation ground, including building the one-storey shelter, was being carried out at a budget of ₹60 lakh.