Varanasi: Taking serious note of negligence in various ongoing construction works, the Varanasi municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal imposed a fine of Rs 7 lakh on two firms for negligence in development works and substandard construction. The commissioner also issued a strict warning that misuse of public funds and compromise on quality will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
During a site inspection of an under-construction senior care centre at Bada Lalpur on Sunday, the municipal commissioner found substandard quality and slow pace of construction work. Expressing strong displeasure over this, the municipal commissioner directed that the concerned executing firm be immediately fined Rs 5 lakh.
Later, he inspected the Sarnath Zone office building being constructed on Pandeypur-Panchkoshi Road and found negligence on the part of the contractor. More than six months have passed since the work commenced, yet only a half-incomplete basement has been constructed. Moreover, the quality of materials being used in the construction is extremely substandard, the official said, imposing a penalty of Rs 2 lakh on the firm.
During the inspection, the municipal commissioner also reviewed the cleaning of a large 4.5-kilometre-long kutcha drain at Aidhe (Bada Lalpur). He directed that a proposal for paving this drain in the future be prepared and presented at the earliest. Additionally, during the inspection of Narokhar Nala and Pal Basti Nala on Pandeypur-Panchkoshi Marg, he instructed officials concerned that full-depth cleaning of the drains by removing silt must be ensured before the monsoon under all circumstances.
