‘Why appoint officers blamed for road collapse?’: Madhya Pradesh high court raps Gwalior civic body

BHOPAL: “Why is the municipal corporation short of efficient officers with an unblemished record?” the Madhya Pradesh high court asked on Tuesday while questioning the appointment of an officer whom the court was told was prima facie responsible for a road collapse.The sharp observations came as the court ordered a technical audit of roads constructed in Gwalior over the past five years to determine whether they were built according to approved specifications and whether there was any possibility of corruption or improper measurement of work.A division bench of Justices G S Ahluwalia and Anuradha Shukla appointed a commission headed by advocate Gaurav Samadhiya, assisted by advocates Pawan Raghuvanshi and Himanshu Sharma. Technical experts will also assist the commission.The court was told that a road in Chetakpuri had collapsed badly last year. Municipal commissioner Sangh Priy attributed the collapse to a weak sewage line and informed the court that three officials — Suresh Ahirwar, Pawan Singhal and Mahendra Agarwal — had earlier been suspended after being found prima facie responsible for the collapse.The court, however, took exception to Ahirwar's subsequent appointment as an Officer-in-Charge (OIC), particularly after another road had recently collapsed.“Why the Municipal Corporation is short of efficient officers with unblemished record and why the officers, who according to the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, are prima facie guilty of collapse of road, are being appointed as OICs, is beyond the understanding of this Court,” the bench observed.The court directed that henceforth the municipal commissioner himself must respond to all proceedings through his own affidavits and that no OIC would be appointed.The commission will examine the detailed project reports (DPRs) and specifications of roads constructed between January 1, 2021 and August 11, 2026. It will also examine whether the Chetakpuri road was properly constructed and whether there was any possibility of corruption or improper measurement of work.The municipal corporation has been directed to submit details of the funds sanctioned and spent on road construction, along with the DPRs and specifications.The court was informed that the corporation controls 129 main roads and around 800 internal roads, while 46 roads are under the Public Works Department (PWD) and four under the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).The PWD and NHAI have been added as respondents. The matter will be heard next on August 13, when the corporation has been directed to submit the requested records.