AMBALA, Nov 25: A 3-member committee has been constituted to investigate into the circumstances that led to the collapse of projection of community hall being constructed by the Cantonment Board Ambala at Topkhana in Ambala Cantonment. It is alleged that the lintel of projection crumbled on Sunday last all of sudden causing danger to the main building.The board President Satnam Singh sub area commanding officer said that the enquiry committee consisted of a architect from outside, a garrison engineer and executive officer cantonment board. The committed would conduct enquiry on the technical ground looking into the alleged use of sub standard material in raising the projection. He said that the contractor executing the work, would not be made any payment till the completion of enquiry. He further said that if he was held responsible for the lapse, proper action would be taken against him.According to information, the projection of the community hall to be constructed at a cost of Rs 17 lakhs was 60 by 4 feet long and was suspected to be constructed by using substandard material that could not sustain the weight of lintel. It was also alleged that the lintel of the main building was completed in two stages which caused cold joints. It is also alleged that the board authorities had started the construction without getting samples passed from some authority which established that the contractor and the executing authorities were in league with one another to use the sub standard material.According to sources, the contract was allotted to a contractor who did proxy work for a relative of an engineer in the board. The man was a black-listed contractor from the state government. The coerces disclosed that higher rate of commission charged from the contractors by the board officials had led to the collapse of the portion of building. Moreover, following crumbling down of the projection, the main building yet to be completed has developed cracks and tilting.A team of board members who visited the site yesterday, had different views while some of them wanted punishment to the defaulting contractor and also the officials, the others were dancing to the tunes of officials for their vested interests. However, the member from the Topkhana was of the view that the enquiry should be made to expose the misdoings of the contractor who had allegedly used substandard material. He expressed his fears that the main building might not collapse when it was open for the public use leading to unseen tragedy.
