Indore: A four-member committee constituted by Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) to inquire into Hotel MS building collapse incident submitted its report to the municipal commissioner has held multiple factors responsible for the incident. The report does not blame the IMC officers.
“We have submitted inquiry report containing our findings to municipal commissioner Manish Singh,” said additional municipal commissioner Devendra Singh said who was chairman of the inquiry committee comprising executive engineer (public works) Ashok Rathore, city planner Vishnu Khare and building officer Om Prakash Goyal.
MS Hotel had collapsed on March 31, 2018, killing 10 people and injuring two others. On April 1, IMC had constituted the committee to probe the incident and submit its report within seven days. The committee took about 25 days to complete its inquiry. The report, according to sources, states the landlord of the 60-year building had raised illegal construction. He had illegally constructed the fourth floor and raised internal construction against norms, which weakened the overall structure.
The report also states that a building owned by Ganga Mishra, which was adjacent to Hotel MS building was demolished. This exposed a wall of MS hotel’s building to weather. As it did not have plaster, the weather weakened the wall, which made the building fragile, IMC sources said.
As per report, water tank in basement weakened foundation of the building and leakage from overhead tank weakened the walls, which could not hold the heavy structure and gave in. The commissioner had given seven points for inquiry, one of which read, “Who all are responsible for the building collapse and what action should be taken against them?” But report did not hold any officer responsible.