Mundka fire case: North DMC suspends 2 officers including licensing inspector

New Delhi [India], May 17 (ANI): North Delhi Municipal Corporation on Tuesday suspended Licensing Inspector Sandeep Kaushik and Section Officer of General Branch who is also Section Officer of House Tax Department of Narela Zone, BR Meena, in view of the Mundka fire incident.
In the official statement of North MCD, it has been said, ''Prima facie, it appears to be laxity on the part of the officials of general branch, house tax department and erstwhile building department of the then Najafgarh Zone of unified MCD.''
As per the official statement, ''the said building is located in extended Lal Dora area of Mundka. As per a record of the Building Department of Narela Zone, the construction of the building is about 11 years old. The property was booked by the then Najafgarh Zone officials. The owner of the building has paid conversion charges from 2016 to 2018 on basis of self-assessment. No ongoing construction is noticed. The owner has never applied for sanctioning building plan. The building was being used for industrial purposes, which is not allowed in the said area/premises being extended Lal Dora area.''
''No valid factory license has been issued to the factory, at this location. The department is not aware about this regarding obtaining FIRE NOC from Fire Department. As per the record, no property tax has been paid by the owner/occupier of the premises and notices were issued by the department. Action against the building in the past was taken in 2019. As per directions of the Monitoring Committee, the liquor shop, running at the ground floor of the premises was sealed on January 24, 2019. Thereafter, as per an order of the Monitoring Committee dated July 24, 2019, the property was de-sealed after removing the belongings and accordingly ground floor is lying vacant,'' read the statement.
In order to prevent the recurrence of such a tragic incident, all Deputy Commissioners of Zones and officers/officials of the Factory Licensing Department and Health Department have been directed to carry out a detailed survey of unauthorized factory units/restaurants operating in non-conforming areas and without proper FIR/NOC and Health Licence etc. Those who violate the law will be prosecuted and penal action including sealing etc shall be taken against the defaulters as per relevant provisions of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act.
The survey in zones of North DMC has been conducted in non-conforming and conforming areas.
On May 13, as many as 27 people died after a massive fire broke out at an office building in Mundka in Delhi on Friday. The four-storey building was used as office space for multiple companies. According to the Delhi Police's FIR, the building did not have a fire safety protocol in place. (ANI)