3 Bhopal Municipal Employees Suspended Over Failure To Respond To High Court Cases Linked To Illegal Commercial Buildings In Arera Cololy

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday suspended three employees for negligence in handling building permission cases pending before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, to get the stay orders against illegal commercial establishments of Arera colony.

The action followed a review that found the civic body had failed to submit replies in several court matters within the required time.

The suspended employees are two sub-engineers, Devesh Garhwal and Kavita Soni, and Assistant Grade-1 employee Rakesh Lahariya.

The suspension orders were issued by Municipal Commissioner Sanskriti Jain on August 25. Separate charge sheets and statements of allegations will be issued against the employees.

Garhwal, who served as the in-charge building officer and building inspector for Zones 9 and 11, failed to contact the concerned advocate and ensure submission of replies in High Court cases related to building permissions. The corporation termed the lapse serious negligence and dereliction of duty.

Similarly, Soni, who held the charge of building officer and building inspector for Zones 7 and 8, was suspended after a similar lapse was found in cases under her jurisdiction.

Lahariya was held responsible for failing to provide case files and relevant records to the concerned sub-engineers, resulting in the corporation being unable to present its stand before the High Court.

All three employees will have their headquarters at the corporation's Mechanical Department during the suspension period and will be entitled to subsistence allowance as per rules. The action follows a review of court cases and the process of filing replies by the Building Permission Branch.