Aliganj fire: Court to hear final arguments on building demolition

Lucknow, Jul 9 (PTI) The Lucknow Development Authority's (LDA) designated court is scheduled to hear on Thursday the demolition proceedings against the "illegal" commercial building in Aliganj where a devastating fire claimed 15 lives last month, an official said. The official told PTI that the hearing is expected later in the day, with the building owner's counsel granted a final opportunity to present arguments. He also said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the incident has sought details of all officials posted in Zone D, where the building is located, including senior officers responsible for overseeing construction activities in the area. The information sought includes the officers' tenure, roles and responsibilities, and any alleged negligence during their postings. The demolition proceedings have been underway since June 23, a day after the fire broke out. The LDA issued a fresh demolition notice, citing violations of building bylaws. The building in Sector D of Aliganj housed an animation centre and a pet shop. Subsequent investigations found that the building, sanctioned for residential use, was being used commercially and allegedly lacked mandatory fire safety measures and required setbacks. On June 23, LDA Vice Chairman Prathamesh Kumar had told PTI that the authority had issued a demolition notice over violations of construction norms and initiated an inquiry against officials for alleged laxity. He had said the process of identifying officers responsible for the lapses had begun. The first hearing in the demolition case was held on Tuesday, when the building owner's counsel sought a week's time to file a reply to the notice. The designated authority allowed only one day. During Wednesday's hearing, the owner's counsel filed a reply and sought either regularisation of the building under the new building bylaws or time for detailed arguments. The designated authority again declined to grant more than a day's adjournment, fixing Thursday for the final arguments. Police have arrested four persons in the criminal case -- building owner Virendra Prasad Shukla (62), Ram Krishna Upadhyay (43), animation centre operator Tushar Krishna Jaiswal (31) and Suresh Kumar Sahoo (41). Upadhyay, Jaiswal and Sahoo were remanded to judicial custody, while Shukla was not produced before the court. The Uttar Pradesh government has also suspended four officials from the electricity department, fire department and the LDA in connection with the incident. PTI KIS DIV DIV