Chandigarh: Junior engineer suspended for cave-in at Sector 20/30 roundabout
An order signed by the executive engineer read, 'The JE failed to attend to the timely restoration of the road at Sector 20/30 roundabout despite the issuance of repeated instructions and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) circulated by the office. The said road caving caused severe disruption to traffic and posed serious risks to public safety and human life.'
This gross negligence and dereliction of duty on the part of the officer in question amounts to misconduct under Rule 11 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965. Thus, JE Rahi is placed under suspension, with immediate effect, the order added.
Meanwhile, MC commissioner Amit Kumar on Wednesday marked an inquiry to find out reasons for the road cave-ins reported at multiple locations across the city due to monsoon. Around 8-10 complaints of road cave-ins have been reported so far.
As per sources, the major reason for cave-ins are leakage in underground sewerage and water pipes.
'The chief engineer visited the sites on Wednesday and an inquiry is being conducted to find out the exact causes for the cave-ins. Any negligence found on the part of MC employees will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken,' said Kumar.
Later, chief engineer Sanjay Arora issued a letter, stating, 'It has come to the notice that instances of road settlement or caving at various locations within the municipal limits are either not being reported timely or are not being restored promptly, which is leading to serious public inconvenience and potential safety risks.'
'Respective field staff is directed to take immediate steps on priority basis for the identification, rectification and restoration of any such cases of road settlement or caving. Any failure to comply with these instructions will be viewed seriously and may attract disciplinary action,' the chief engineer directed.
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