Chennai building collapse: DMK carries out protest, demands CBI probe

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders on Saturday met Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah to press the party’s demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the June 28 building collapse near Porur, which killed 61 people.

Party leader MK Stalin led a well-attended rally of DMK workers and followed that up with a meeting with the governor at Raj Bhavan, during which he submitted a petition demanding a CBI inquiry.

Stalin said that the party will continue with the protests till its demand for a CBI probe was accepted. He added that DMK wanted to ascertain whether there were any irregularities on part of government officials. Tamil Nadu government has, however, ruled out any violations or irregularities on its part.

Housing and Urban Development Minister R Vaithilingam has said that the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority had approved the plan of the building only after it met all guidelines and specifications. But he had added that soil testing and building stability were out of its purview.

Earlier, DMK president M Karunanidhi had demanded a CBI probe into the matter, saying, “It would be appropriate if information about what irregularities had taken place and who were the beneficiaries was to come out.”

Image: DMK members, headed by MK Stalin, carry out a protest in the streets of Chennai, demanding a CBI probe in the building collapse. Photograph: @mkstalin/Twitter