Kochi: Kochi corporation’s supervising engineer S M Sulaiman has been suspended for withholding an application seeking construction permission for 10 months without any reasons and making changes to the dates in the file.
The action has been taken on the basis of a complaint filed by V I Baby to the local self-government minister on June 21. In his complaint, Baby said that no decision was taken on his application seeking permission to build an apartment and business complex on his plot near Paramara temple in Ernakulam north.
In the wake of Anthoor suicide, the preliminary enquiry and departmental action were fast tracked. Baby had submitted the application seeking approval to build a complex on a 3,041 sq m rectangular plot that is 83 metres long and 13.5 metres wide on August 1, 2018.
According to corporation rules, a decision on such applications has to be taken within 30 days. But, even after 10 months, the supervising engineer did not take a decision on the application. It is suspected that the engineer had demanded a huge amount as bribe for issuing the permission.
Following this, Baby submitted a complaint to local self-government minister A C Moideen, who handed over the complaint to the self-government department requesting a speedy enquiry and action.
A report was also sought from regional joint director R S Anu, who is also looking after the responsibilities of Kochi corporation's secretary. Besides, the file concerned was brought to the department's headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram for scrutiny.
It was found that the dates in the file were changed to escape scrutiny when it was known that the applicant has filed a complaint over the delay in approval. Subsequently, action was taken against the erring official within a week of receiving the complaint.
The suspension order issued by the local self-government department additional secretary Minimol Abraham said that the engineering division's chief's conduct amounted to corruption, severe breach of discipline and dereliction of duty.
Corporation's executive engineer H Taitus has been given the additional responsibility of the superintending engineer.
The recent suicide of an NRI-returned entrepreneur Sajen following the denial of ownership for his convention centre at Bakkalam in Anthoor municipality of Kannur district had brought the spotlight on the rampant red-tapism and apathy in the state.
