Two weeks after the collapse of a building in Chennai left 61 dead, the DMK today led a massive rally in the city demanding CBI probe into the case.
Two weeks after the collapse of a building in Chennai left 61 dead, the DMK today led a massive rally in the city demanding CBI probe into the case.
"The government's one man commission probe is an eye wash," said DMK Treasurer MK Stalin, who led the protest and handed over a petition to the State Governor K Rosaiah.
Last week, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had announced a Special Investigation Team for probing the 11-storey building collapse. Although the building that collapsed had proper approval, Ms Jayalalithaa had said, "It appears the building did not adhere to the approved plan and it suffered from structural defects".
In fact, after an examination last week, an expert team from the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association (CREDAI) said that there were major flaws in the under-construction building and called it a structural engineering disaster. The key failures they said were the use of weak load-bearing beams and columns, and use of sub-standard construction material, all of which 'compromised on safety'.
Today, after giving handing over the petition to the Governor, Mr Stalin said, "We were not allowed to raise the issue in the Assembly. The Chief Minister has already given her verdict even before the Commission's report".
The Chennai rally is being seen as Mr Stalin's attempt to revive his party after the DMK's rout in the recent Parliamentary polls. The defeat was seen as a huge setback for the senior leader who called the shots on snapping ties with the Congress as well as deciding candidates. He was the face of the party's campaign.
At the protest venue he said, "Jayalalithaa should immediately order for this (CBI probe). The DMK is preparing itself to struggle for the cause till it is done."
A senior leader in the party who does not want to be named told NDTV, "This would definitely rejuvenate the party cadre in the run up to the 2016 assembly polls. There is speculation that Ms Jayalalithaa might call for early elections following her landslide victory in the recent General Election."
The collapsed building is just around 500 metres away from the Porur lake outside Chennai. Till a few decades ago this site used to be part of a huge wetland, a catchment area for the Porur lake.