The high-level committee constituted to probe the hotel Levana fire disaster that claimed four lives, has delivered its findings to the state administration on Friday.
Before submitting the joint inquiry report, the Commissioner of Lucknow Division and Lucknow Police Commissioner convened a meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. According to sources, the investigation cited negligence as the cause of the fire and blamed the occurrence on six departments, including the Excise Department, District Administration, Fire Services, Lucknow Municipal Corporation, and Lucknow Development Authority (LDA).
The inquiry report named the officers and engineers accountable for the fire incident. The study recommended imposing punishment on LDA and fire service officers.
A list of hotels in Lucknow that were constructed illegally was also given in the joint report. It also advocated taking legal action against hotels operating in violation of the rules.
In the early hours of Monday, a large fire at the Hotel Levana in Lucknow’s Hazratganj neighbourhood caused four fatalities and ten injuries.
The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, issued an order shortly after the tragedy ordering a joint investigation into what caused the hotel fire by the commissioner of the Lucknow division and the police commissioner of Lucknow.
The proprietors and general manager of Hotel Levana were held by Lucknow Police after a FIR was filed against them.
“We have detained hotel owners Rohit, Rahul Agarwal and their general manager. FIR has been registered. An inquiry committee consisting of Police Commissioner Lucknow and Divisional Commissioner will probe the matter,” Piyush Mordia, Joint Commissioner of Police, Lucknow.
Additionally, the hotel was inspected by representatives of the fire service on Monday to determine the origin of the blaze.
The hotel was ordered to be sealed and demolished in the interim by the Lucknow administration. “Lucknow’s Levana Hotel is to be demolished. The Lucknow Divisional Commissioner has given instructions to seal and demolish. No copy of the approved map of the hotel was given to the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA),” said Roshan Jacob, Lucknow Commissioner.