Probe digging case, submit report in five days: Amritsar Mayor

Tribune News Service

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, May 19

The owner of the under-construction hotel on the railway link road has not only put the lives of the residents living near the project site in danger by digging up beyond the permissible limit, but also put the lives of commuters, who use the adjoining main road, as the digging was done close to the road.

This was stated by Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu. During a visit to the site, Rintu and former Congress leader Mandeep Singh Manna also observed that the property owner got the basement dug up close to the road.

It can be a major threat to the main railway road as the water supply and sewer lines are also laid near the construction site. Experts refer to the Mall Road cave-in incident reported in September 2018 and again in January 2019.

“The owner of the hotel violated the condition of setback area on every side of the building. In case of leakage of a water pipeline or sewer line on Railway Road, the road would cave-in. The ground would move away toward the basement with the flow of water. Similarly, as it had happened on the Mall Road, where a basement of the under-construction building resulted in a major road cave-in,” said Mandeep Singh.

Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu said, “We have asked officials to check all the violations and report.”

Meanwhile, the Mayor, who inspected the spot along with officials of the municipal corporation on Wednesday, asked MC officials to conduct a separate inquiry into it. After inspecting the spot with the officials to ascertain the reason behind the accident, the Mayor stated that the whole incident happened due to unauthorised digging and construction of the basement in the area adjacent to Hotel Grand.

Taking cognizance of this, the Mayor gave instructions in writing to the MC Joint Commissioner that the accident should be investigated and the report submitted within five days with the details of negligence on the part of the builder.

The Mayor also instructed to revoke the building plan of the excavated site and stop the ongoing construction work with immediate effect. He also asked the MC officials to ensure the rehabilitation of the affected families.

The owner of the hotel violated the condition of setback area on every side of the building. In case of leakage of a water pipeline or sewer line on Railway Road, the road would cave-in. The ground would move away toward the basement with the flow of water. Similarly, as it had happened on the Mall Road, where a basement of the under-construction building resulted in a major road cave-in. — Mandeep Singh Manna, Congress leader

We have asked officials to check all the violations and report. The owner of the under-construction hotel on the railway link road has not only put the lives of the residents living near the project site in danger by digging up beyond the permissible limit, but also put the lives of commuters, who use the adjoining main road, as the digging was done close to the road. — Karamjit Singh Rintu, Mayor

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