MCD engineers refuse to obey transfer orders

After the Lalita Park house collapse in east Delhi in which 71 people had died, the MCD had begun a crackdown on its building department, one of the wings allegedly responsible for the collapse.

After the Lalita Park house collapse in east Delhi in which 71 people had died, the MCD had begun a crackdown on its building department, one of the wings allegedly responsible for the collapse.

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In January, MCD had identified 184 tainted officials in the department and ordered their transfer to less ‘sensitive’ departments but now the move has come under a cloud as some officials have refused to budge despite being served notices.

On Tuesday, MCD commissioner KS Mehra wrote to the deputy commissioners of all MCD zones to identify those officials who have not moved out yet. “They are to submit their report by Thursday and it will be made available on Friday,” said an official.

As per Jagdish Mamgain, chairman, MCD’s Works Committee, there are about a dozen officials from the building department that have refused to leave. The rest have left and their posts have been filled by people from other departments. However, even in this case, there are problems.

The building department had come under scrutiny after the Lalita Park collapse on November 15. The department is responsible for identifying illegal and dangerous buildings and demolishing them but in this case they had failed to do so.

The 184 tainted officials include seven superintending engineers, 91 assistant engineers and 86 junior engineers. Sixty one of the tainted officials have been facing trial at courts in corruption cases.