Retd principal killed after falling into open drain, 3 engrs suspended

Kota: Kota Development Authority (KDA) Friday suspended three engineers and imposed a penalty of Rs 17 lakh upon the contractor after retired school principal Rameshwar Rawal died by falling into an open drain, under Borekheda police station area late Wednesday night.Taking a dig at govt apathy and inaction, former CM Ashok Gehlot and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Tika Ram Jully took to X and condemned the BJP govt for negligence and taking the life of a common man like a cockroach.While returning on a motorbike from a retirement party, Rameshwar Rawal, who retired from a govt school in Kota a few months ago, fell with his bike into a drain - siphon chamber, left open on the roadside Wednesday late night. When he did not return home, his family launched a search for him throughout the night; however, the tragedy came to light the next morning Thursday when someone spotted the bike stuck in muddy water and informed police."Taking serious note of the death, site engineers – executive engineer Sagar Meena, assistant engineer Lalchand Matoria and junior engineer Vinod Madawat – were suspended for negligence in work," said Mukesh Choudhary, secretary, KDA. Disciplinary action under 16 CC was also initiated against the three engineers, he added. "Besides, the contractor of the site work was fined Rs 17 lakh, 10% of the contract amount, for not covering the drain and putting up sign or cautionary boards at the worksite," Choudhary added.Action was taken on the basis of the probe report of the committee headed by the deputy commissioner that visited the site early Friday morning and verified negligence of the three site engineers and the contractor through inquiry with locals and examination of the circumstances, he further said.