Municipal Corporation of Tirupati Orders Probe Into Crane Tragedy, Suspends Two Town Planning Officials
The two officials have been suspended after a preliminary inquiry found lapses in supervision of the building construction, MCT commissioner M. Jaya Krishna said.
Tirupati: The Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) has suspended two Town Planning officials following the crane accident that killed three workers on the DBR Road.
The incident has brought under scrutiny the civic body's supervision of construction activities.
The two officials have been suspended after a preliminary inquiry found lapses in supervision of the building construction, MCT commissioner M. Jaya Krishna said.
He said senior officials would be appointed as inquiry officers to conduct an inquiry. Strict action would be taken against officials and staff found responsible.
The accident took place at a hotel project taken up by Nandi Hotels of Hyderabad between the Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Municipal Corporation Government School and Sri Convention.
The project, involving a 13-storey building with three basement levels, had reportedly been approved by the Town Planning Directorate about three months ago.
Excavation for the basements reportedly reached 34 feet to 40 feet.
Wherever they encountered rocks, they blasted them before moving forward. This could have rendered the subsoil weak.
Police said the accident occurred when a crane entered the school premises to remove a large tree.
The crane could not hold the tree’s weight while lifting it.
The crane itself tilted and plunged into the pit, leading to the three deaths. Circumstances surrounding the crane’s entry into municipal school premises and the permission for removal of the tree are under scrutiny.
The school headmaster had not been informed before the crane entered the premises.
Sources said locals had raised concerns with civic officials over unsafe excavation at the site.
A preliminary inquiry is examining whether or not the complaints reached the Town Planning wing and in case an inspection or corrective action followed.
Officials are inquiring whether necessary permissions had been taken from the Mining department before blasting commenced.
Commissioner Jaya Krishna, who inspected the site after the accident, directed engineering officials to submit a report on the structural condition of the school building.
He said the inquiry would examine the incident from all angles and fix responsibility based on the findings.
Jaya Krishna warned that strict action would be taken against builders carrying out construction without the required permissions or violating prescribed rules.