An assistant executive engineer suspended by the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) over the fiasco at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor that left Uma Thomas, MLA, seriously injured has allegedly rued being made a “scapegoat”.
The GCDA Chairman K. Chandran Pillai said that the issue was under investigation and that the assistant executive engineer would be exonerated if her claims were proven true. An executive committee meeting held on Saturday suspended S.S. Usha, the assistant executive engineer in charge of the stadium, pending inquiry. The meeting also directed the GCDA secretary to conduct an inquiry and submit a report within two weeks.
Ms. Usha reportedly made the claims in a telephone interview with a television channel. She alleged that the stadium was allotted to Mridanga Vision, which organised the mass dance event, by the estate department of the GCDA without consulting the engineering department. She argued that, typically, the engineering wing’s opinion was sought when allotting the use of the turf, but no such file had reached the wing in this case.
Ms. Usha said that for any temporary constructions in the stadium, the organisers should have secured the requisite permissions, licence, and stability certificate from the Kochi Corporation. She added that the allotment order issued by the estate wing mentioned the site engineer, though the role is typically performed by the assistant engineer.
“The allotment order is issued by the estate wing, which then goes to the secretary and is seen by the chairperson if necessary. The engineering wing has no role in the process. The engineering wing’s responsibility is to check whether the stadium has been used for the allotted period and whether the organisers caused any liability after the event, for which the site engineer and overseer are responsible,” she claimed.
Published – January 06, 2025 09:40 pm IST
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