Councillor on run,engineer suspended after wall collapse kills boy in Surat

Akhilesh Thakker (14) and Mahavir Dudhala (12) were playing near the under-construction four-storeyed building owned by BJP municipal councillor G C Gopani in Katargam area on Monday when the second-floor wall collapsed.

A day after a boy died and another was seriously injured when wall of an illegal under-construction building collapsed,the municipal chief on Tuesday suspended a junior engineer and slapped a showcause notice on a deputy engineer even as the owner of the building,a councillor,went absconding after a police complaint was lodged.

Akhilesh Thakker (14) and Mahavir Dudhala (12) were playing near the under-construction four-storeyed building owned by BJP municipal councillor G C Gopani in Katargam area on Monday when the second-floor wall collapsed.

Both boys sustained severe injuries and were rushed by locals to a nearby hospital where Akhilesh died soon after being admitted. Mahavir is battling for life with critical injuries.

Local BJP MLA Nanu Vanani and a few BJP municipal councillors who visited the site along with municipal officials were manhandled by angry residents.

On Tuesday,Municipal Commissioner M K Das suspended Rasik Patel,the junior engineer in charge of Katargam zone,and served a showcause notice on deputy engineer D R Shukal for dereliction of duty. Katargam police have registered a complaint against Gopani and his associates. Police said the councillor was still at large.

Das said strict action would be taken against civic officials in such cases.

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