NEW DELHI: For the first time since the citywide demolition drive began here in the Capital on December 17, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Thursday suspended a junior engineer for overlooking reconstruction of an unauthorised structure in Rohini Zone that was knocked down a few days ago.

Municipal Commissioner A.K. Nigam placed JE Satbir Singh under suspension for gross negligence while a departmental inquiry against him is already on.

Demolition squads had taken action against illegal structures at Kohat Enclave, Kapil Vihar and Nishant Kunj in Rohini Zone in the last week of December. However, owners of the demolished structures reconstructed the illegal portion.

Though the JE lodged FIRs against encroachers, he overlooked the reconstruction and failed to take any action and also did not inform his seniors about the same.

Mr. Nigam has warned all MCD officials to keep a strict watch over buildings where demolitions have already been carried out and take immediate action if anyone was found indulging in reconstruction of razed structure.

He has warned of strict disciplinary action if any MCD employee is found guilty of dereliction of duty.

Meanwhile, the demolition drive was carried out on Thursday in all the zones where 34 properties -- 11 residential and 23 commercial -- were targeted. Demolition squads razed seven residential and nine commercial properties, while four residential and 14 commercial properties were partly demolished. However, no sealing took place on Thursday.

So far, the MCD has removed 588 illegal structures -- 169 commercial and 419 residential -- that include sealing of 83 properties.

Similarly, the Public Works Department removed around 500 jhuggies that had come up on its land near Nizamuddin Mor on Ring Road in East Delhi. PWD's anti-encroachment wing equipped with bulldozers and earth excavators reached the site and removed the illegal slum cluster in the daylong exercise.

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