LAHORE: Police will be questioning the contractor of the under-construction Data Darbar expansion project, as well as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the company that has been awarded the project’s contract, in connection with the death of a woman and her minor daughter after falling into an open sewer at the site in Lahore, a source told Dawn on Friday.
The incident took place two days ago and while the woman’s body was found late in the night the same day, the 10-month-old child’s body was recovered on Thursday.
A first information report (FIR) of the incident was registered on the complaint of the woman’s father at the Bhatti Gate police station under Section 322 (manslaughter) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The construction project’s manager, the safety in-charge and the site in-charge were booked for their “gross negligence” in leaving the manhole open. The three suspects have since been arrested.
Expanding the scope of the investigation, police would also question the project’s contractor and M/S Design and Engineering Pvt Limited’s CEO on the government’s directives, a police official told Dawn.
He said the two would be questioned to “define their role in the incident”.
“A team of senior officers will question both of them to determine why the company failed to ensure safety protocols and cover the loopholes that led to the incident,” the official said.
The government has also suspended from service the entire team of the Data Darbar revamp project, including Bhati Chowk remodelling, after the preliminary inquiry proved their negligence.
Meanwhile, the project consultant, Nespak, has been issued a show-cause notice with a recommendation to suspend the resident engineer.
A day ago, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took aim at senior officials, including the Lahore commissioner, assistant commissioner and the head of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) for the “negligence” which led to the incident.
