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| April 19, 2003 | Saturday | Safar 16, 1424 |
Police wants 6 TMA officials investigated: Bano Arcade incident
RAWALPINDI, April 18: Police have asked the Tehsil Nazim to hand over six employees of the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) for interrogation in connection with the Bano Arcade collapse.
“Despite repeated attempts by the investigation team, the six officials of the TMA building department are not cooperating with the police,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Sardar Maqsood, who is leading the team, told Dawn.
In this regard, a formal letter was written to Tehsil Nazim Raja Hamid Nawaz to ask his staff members to cooperate with the team. However, there was still no response from the TMA, DSP Maqsood said.
He said the file of Bano Arcade Complex had been missing from the TMA office.
Police investigations have found the then building inspector (the construction started in 1998) and the superintendent guilty as the construction of the building was completed on a residential plot within two months without the approval of a building plan.
“Surprisingly, no responsible municipal officer checked the illegal construction,” the investigation officer said.
Bano Arcade, located in Satellite Town, collapsed on April 4 while construction work was going on on the complex.
Officials cited the use of poor construction material as the main reason for the building’s collapse.
However, a case had been registered against its owners who were granted pre-arrest bails by the court.
Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali had assured journalists during his recent visit to Gujar Khan that he had asked the provincial government to look into the Bano Arcade incident and bring those responsible to book.
When questioned about non-inclusion of the Tehsil Nazim in the investigation, DSP Sardar Maqsood said: “Our investigations are not yet at the stage where we can question the Tehsil Nazim.”
A five-member police team had been formed to probe the incident.
The inquiry report is to be submitted within one week.
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