Bhiwandi building collapse: Five civic officials suspended for dereliction of duty

Thane: Five senior officials of the Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation have been placed under suspension as part of the investigation into the collapse of a building in November. The collapse of the three-storeyed building, which occurred on 24 November, had claimed four lives and left nine persons injured. [caption id=“attachment_931093” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Rescue work in progress after a building collapsed in Bhiwandi, Thane. PTI[/caption] The order suspending these officials for dereliction of duty was issued by municipal commissioner Dr Yogesh Mhase on 8 December, said officials. The officials placed under suspension are Subhash Zalke, Vinod Mate, Sachin Naik, Vinod Bhoir and Ramakant Mhatre. The order further added that the officials were being suspended so that a departmental enquiry could be carried out against them. The probe by the corporation also revealed that the the officials had violated the provisions of the Maharashtra Civil Services rules. The civic chief’s order stated that the building, owned by one Tahir Rafique Ahmed Ansari, had come up between 2009 and 2013 as shown by satellite images as well as power connection records. The building collapse killed Ruksar Yakub Khan, 18, Asfaque Ahmed Khan, 40, Jaibunissa Rafique Ansari, 61 and Parvin Khan, 35.