Sweeping machine catches fire, MCG official suspended over failure to report incident

Gurgaon: MCG on Wednesday suspended an official for not reporting a fire incident. The sweeping machine caught fire at Mor Chowk (Civil Lines) early Tuesday, and the senior sanitary inspector (SSI) deployed there failed to inform officials about the incident.Exercising powers under the Haryana Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 2016, the civic body placed SSI Harsh Chawla under immediate suspension pending disciplinary proceedings. The issue came up for discussion during a sanitation review meeting held on Wednesday, in which the MCG commissioner, Pradeep Dahiya, sought answers from him on his failure to inform the joint commissioner or any other senior official about the incident. The SSI could not be reached for comment.An order issued by MCG states that the failure to notify the concerned joint commissioner or any senior official amounted to "gross negligence, dereliction of duty and non-performance", potentially hampering timely response and effective management of the situation.Dahiya, in the meeting, said that maintaining administrative discipline is the top priority. "Negligence of any kind or violation of protocol won't be tolerated. Complaints against the concerned officer regarding not taking public grievances seriously and ignoring phone calls also came to light, which also was taken seriously," said the commissioner in the meeting.After suspension, a departmental inquiry also was initiated to probe the incident, which officials said was likely due to a short circuit. The senior sanitary inspector has been directed not to leave headquarters without prior permission and must report to the designated official. As per rules of the Haryana govt, he will be entitled to subsistence allowance. The chief accounts officer of MCG has been instructed to release the allowance in accordance with prescribed norms.