Crematorium tragedy: Muradnagar municipality's woman executive officer denied bail

GHAZIABAD: A Ghaziabad court on Friday denied bail to a woman executive officer of the Muradnagar municipality, arrested for her alleged corrupt role in tendering for building a waiting hall at the local crematorium that collapsed killing 24 mourners and injuring 17 others.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Ratnesh Deep Kamal Anand rejected the bail plea of Executive Officer Niharika Singh, saying the accused cannot be given relief at this juncture when the case is still at the initial stage of the investigation.

Singh had moved the court for bail on Thursday and the CJM had reserved his judgement on the bail plea after hearing arguments of both the prosecution and defence counsel, Ghaziabad's Superintendent of Police (Rural) Iraj Raja, said.

The court rejected her bail plea on Friday, he added.

A total of 24 people were killed and 41 others injured, many of them grievously, when the roof of a newly-built waiting hall of the crematorium collapsed during the cremation of a Muradnagar's fruit vendor Jairam.

The victims had taken shelter to escape incessant rains when the roof collapsed trapping them.

The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation, meanwhile, blacklisted three firms of contractor Ajay Tyagi and cancelled the tender worth Rs 10 crore given to them, Ghaziabad Mayor Asha Sharma said, These firms will not be able to take any government work throughout the country now, she added.

As per the state government's directions, the Ghaziabad district administration has arranged for free education to 29 children of victims in nine intermediate colleges, said District magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey.

Certificates issued to school managements for providing free education to victims' children have been handed over to the family members today at their residences in Muradnagar by BJP MLA Ajit Pal Tyagi, he added.

Cheques for the ex-gratia payments of Rs 10 lakh to 14 family members of the deceased persons were handed over on Wednesday by General (Retd) V K Singh, said the DM.

Cheques for ex-gratia payment have been given to 18 families till now, said Pandey, adding rest of the cheques would be handed over to victim's families at their native places by the SDMs and other officials, he added.