M A I N   N E W S

Police books 58 builders
by Gitanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service

AHMEDABAD, Feb 13 — As controlled explosions in dilapidated quake-hit buildings continue, the police has initiated proceedings against 58 builders, slapping cases under Sections 304 and 120-B of the IPC. In the wake of evidence against the suspects, the police, with the assistance of forensic experts, engineers and architects, is doing the rounds of buildings that collapsed or were damaged in the quake of January 26.

“We are personally supervising the collection of soil samples to identify if the depth of the foundation of buildings was in accordance with norms laid down by the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). Further, the team will assess whether steel bars of the right dimension and quantity were used, among other things”, the Commissioner of Police, Mr P.C. Pandey, said.

He added that though the collection and testing of samples of all 58 buildings would be a marathon exercise yet it was essential to bring the violators to book and would form a substantial part of the evidence against them.

The builders, most of whom have absconded, have been charged with culpable homicide amounting to murder despite growing protests seeking registration of cases under Section 302 of the IPC for murder. “The idea of violations in building bylaws was not intended in the murder of residents. Hence, Section 304 of the IPC suffices, which also ensures they are not let off the hook easily. They face 10 years' imprisonment if found guilty,” he justified.

Also working on the possibility of a nexus between AUDA and AMC officials, the police has taken to registering cases under Section 120-B of the IPC for criminal conspiracy which cost many a life. “The builders must know that they cannot take the public for a ride and that they are answerable for all wrongs committed. With the completion of the investigations we can pin down those creating problems”, Mr Pandey claimed .

In the 58 complaints against as many buildings received by the police so far, the police is pursuing the alleged existence of a swimming pool atop the Mansi complex building and extension of balconies to strengthen their case.

However, most of the builders named in the complaints, including Rakesh Shah and Girish Patel , have all absconded.

“We have left the builders alone and are concentrating on getting evidence against their wrong doings. Tracking them down would not be a difficult task once we have substantial evidence in our hands,” Mr Pandey observed.

The police is banking on evidence suggesting faulty architectural design, wrong designing or even use of inferior, substandard material for buildings. In any or all of the cases, the chances of culpable homicide would hold good and bring the culprits to justice.

Where victims return surplus relief
From Yoginder Gupta
Tribune news service

RAPAR (BHUJ), FEB 13 — The devastating Republic Day earthquake may have ravaged the life and property of the Gujaratis living in the Kutch region, but it has failed to take away certain traits of their character like honesty and hospitality. It has also failed to break the shackles of the caste system, entrenched strongly in the Gujarati rural society.

It may sound incredible that the victims of a natural calamity have returned relief material in excess of their needs, but this is a common feature in the countryside of Rapar taluka (tehsil). It came as a pleasant surprise to Haryana officials and volunteers, who have adopted more than 15 quake-hit villages, when victim after victim refused to accept an additional “dhosa” or “dabra”, as blankets are known in Gujarati, since members of their families had already received one blanket each.

Owing to the vast variation in the day and night temperature in the desert of Kutch, the blankets and “tal patra (tent)” are priority items next to food.

In Gauripar village, a victim returned to the relief camp soon after a Haryana team gave him a “tal patra” along with two blankets he found wrapped in the tent.

A Haryana officer, Mr R.S. Doon, who has been camping in the Rapar area since February 1, told The Tribune that the villagers even refused to take free rations, if their needs had been fulfilled. They (victims) urged the volunteers to give the eatables to some other needy person.

The Haryana volunteers had taken only potatoes and pulses with them. When the villagers came to know that the volunteers had no fresh vegetables, they started bringing fresh vegetables and milk to the relief camps for the volunteers daily. They refused to accept payment from the volunteers, saying that if they (the volunteers) would not accept the vegetables and milk, they would not accept any relief material from them.

For the first couple of days, the Haryana team led by the state Speaker, Mr Satbir Singh Kadian, found the villagers reluctant to accept relief material from them. The volunteers learnt that the reluctance was due to the strong belief in the cast system. The upper castes like Jains, Rajputs and Patels did not relish the idea of accepting relief material along with the Koilis and Dalits. Moreover, members of the upper castes, though they were as much affected by the earthquake as the other communities, did not accept free ration in front of the “low” castes. They wanted that the help should be given in private at their houses.

In consultation with the local administration, the Haryana officers formed 15-member committees giving representation to all communities. The representatives were selected by the communities themselves. Accompanied by the representatives of a particular caste, the officials delivered the relief material at the houses of their members. The formation of the committees has also helped the Haryana team in undertaking common causes like running of schools (which are still officially closed) and kar seva of religious places. As an incentive to make children attend school, the volunteers served them biscuits and milk as refreshment.

A couple of days ago, the Haryana volunteers had to perform a chore different from distribution of relief material. They made arrangements for the marriage of three daughters of a barber, Natha Bhai Pacha Bhai. Not only did they make arrangements for food for the marriage party, Mr Varinder Singh, City Magistrate, Ambala, and Mr Doon gave Rs 1100 each as ‘kanyadaan’ on behalf of the people of Haryana and the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, respectively.

If in Wajepar village, a temple was restored through kar seva, in Bela village, near the Pakistan border, the Haryana volunteers set up a post office, the building of which was totally destroyed in the earthquake, in a tent.

Mr Doon said the people in the Gujarat villages were disciplined. In case particular relief material ran short, it was handed over to the representatives in proportion to the strength of their castes in the village. There was no dispute over the distribution.

In Jesra village, all houses constructed under the Indira Awas Yojana for the Dalits were destroyed. The Haryana team had to pitch up tents specially for the Dalits at a distance from the village. The panchayat agreed to give land for the Dalit ‘basti’ in tents.