The fire at Levana Suites triggered one of the biggest accountability exercises in UP
The Sept 5, 2022 fire at the upscale hotel on Madan Mohan Malviya Marg triggered one of the state’s biggest accountability exercises, leading to the suspension of 19 officials from four departments, including the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA), fire services, power and excise departments. As investigations dragged on, the Allahabad high court intervened in 2023 and ordered reinstatement of the suspended LDA personnel. Having already undergone nearly 13 months of suspension while awaiting completion of inquiries, the officials were allowed to return to service in October 2023. the status of inquiries against 10 officials from the fire, power and excise departments remains less clear While developments regarding LDA officials are known.
Because of longstanding disputes over the legality of the building, the sharpest focus fell on the LDA, whose role came under scrutiny. Nearly four years after the devastating Levana Suites fire in Lucknow that claimed four lives and exposed glaring regulatory lapses, departmental inquiries launched against government officials are yet to be fully concluded. action against some others remains pending While several officials have faced penalties ranging from reduction in rank to pension cuts. Strong action was also ordered against the hotel’s promoters and management. Nine LDA officials were suspended immediately after the incident, including then prescribed authority (vihit pradhikari) Mahendra Kumar Mishra, executive engineers Arun Kumar Singh and Om Prakash Mishra, assistant engineer Rakesh Mohan, and several junior engineers. The court simultaneously directed inquiry officers to expedite the proceedings. The state government had entrusted the inquiry into LDA officials to Kanpur divisional commissioner K Vijayendra Pandian after initial probe by a high-level committee headed by then Lucknow police commissioner SB Shiradkar and divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob.
Those suspended included four fire department officials led by then chief fire officer Vijay Kumar Singh, three officials from the electrical safety wing of the power department, and three officials from the excise department, including then district excise officer Santosh Kumar Tiwari.