Lucknow fire: Month on, authorities raze ‘unsanctioned’ parts of building

Preliminary findings indicate that the building had been sanctioned for residential use but was allegedly being used for commercial activities, officials said.

Kumar said heavy earth-moving equipment had been deployed for the operation. As a precaution, authorities closed the adjoining road to traffic and suspended electricity supply in the area to ensure the demolition could be carried out safely.

Following the fatal fire last month, the LDA had issued notices to the building’s owners after an initial inspection found alleged violations of the sanctioned building plan, according to officials.

The demolition follows the June 22 fire that engulfed the building, which housed a pet clinic and pet shop on two floors, while another floor was occupied by a company involved in art production and game development. Fifteen people were killed in the blaze.

According to police, records obtained from the LDA show that the land on which the building stands is jointly owned by Virendra Prasad Shukla and his brother, Surendra Shukla.

Police registered a case against four named and several unidentified persons under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 125 (acts endangering life or personal safety). Investigators have also invoked Sections 6 and 10 of the Uttar Pradesh Fire Service Act.

So far, police have arrested four people in connection with the case — Virendra Shukla, the owner, and three others who had rented out the building, including Ramkrishna Upadhyay, T K Jaiswal and Suresh Kumar Sahu.