Two BMC engineers to be sacked for Kamla fire are still on duty

MUMBAI: Two BMC engineers who were to be sacked after being found guilty in an inquiry into the Kamla Mills fire will be suspended a second time. The two — assistant engineer MG Shelar and junior engineer Dharmaraj Shinde — who had been suspended earlier, were reinstated last year, citing ‘shortage of staff amid the pandemic’. Now municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal has ordered that both of them be suspended. Also, a third one, sub-engineer Dinesh Mahale, will be suspended.
While the two were ordered to be removed from municipal service, Mahale who was found guilty and punished with severe reduction in pay. All three were suspended the day after a major fire broke out at in December 2017 killing 14 people. The inquiry report by then additional commissioner Vijay Singhal had stated that there was serious negligence and connivance on the part of the officials.
TOI had reported in April this year that the two who were to be sacked had been reinstated into service.
“Now, the municipal commissioner has sent a proposal to suspend them again,” says a communication from city engineer Parag Raut, in reply to Samajwadi Party corporatorRais Shaikh, also an MLA.
Suspension of an employee would mean that the person concerned is not allowed to report to work till an enquirty is completed. However, the employee continues to receive at least 70% of the regular salary and other benefits.
“The two engineers [Shelar and Shinde] had been ordered to be removed from municipal service by then BMC chief Ajoy Mehta. Those charged with negligence and dereliction of duty that led to death of 14 people should not be reinstated at any cost. The two must be dismissed from service, not just suspended a second time,” said Shaikh. “I will file a complaint with the Lokayukta against the city engineer for failing to act on the BMC chief’s orders for such a long time,”
According to BMC records, then municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi had in April last year, issued orders to reinstate all engineers who were under suspension. Pardeshi had asked the BMC to reinstate all engineers under suspension since BMC was “facing a shortage of manpower” during the pandemic. These engineers were to be assigned Covid duty and their suspension was taken back only temporarily.