Lucknow, Aug 2 : The Uttar Pradesh government has suspended five engineers, including a chief engineer, in connection with breach in the Elgin Bridge-Charsari embankment on the border of Barabanki and Gonda districts.
On the directives of Chief Minister Mayawati, five engineers including chief engineer D N Singh were placed under suspension late Monday night after they were prima facie found responsible for breach in the embankment, an official spokesman said here today.
The other four engineers of irrigation department include superintendent engineer Devki Nandan, executive engineer A K Rai, assistant engineer Kailash Nath Mishra and junior engineer O P Upadhyaya.
The engineers have been suspended on charges of laxity in flood control works and insensitivity towards safety of the embankment.
Mayawati has also directed that relief and rescue works be carried out on war footing in villages affected by breach in Charsari embankment.
She has directed principal secretary irrigation, divisional commissioner Faizabad and district magistrates of Gonda and Bahraich to visit the embankment and make proper arrangements for its safety, the spokesman said.
Mayawati has also directed that people of five villages in Barabanki and 52 villages Gonda be relocated to safe places, he said.
Thousands of villagers were rendered homeless and had to run away from their homes, as the Ghaghra river in spate broke the second embankment at Elgin Bridge-Charsara and inundated large tracts of homestead and farmland.
Principal Secretary Irrigation Kishen Singh Atoria said the officials responsible for the lapses will be taken to task.
Atoria said, the main alignment of the embankmet was itself faulty leading to the breach.
