PG operators of Chandigarh were thick into this illegal biz

Amit Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 23

Nitesh Bansal and Nitesh Popli, who were operating the PG accommodation in Sector 32 where a fire mishap claimed three lives yesterday, were running another PG in the same sector and were about to start another PG on the ground floor of a house in Sector 32. These were also developed on the pattern of the one that went in flames, with board partitions to accommodate a large number of students.

Plyboards and PVC panels were lying in the corridor of the house where PG accommodation was being readied. Sources said the duo was also constructing additional rooms in the rear courtyard to accommodate more PG residents.

One of the neighbours said the construction inside the house was in full swing till yesterday. “While the doors of the five-bedroom set on the ground floor were open till this morning, it was locked later,” the neighbour added.

While the ground floor was taken on rent by the two partners, there are families residing on the first and second floors of the house. Sources said the police would write to the UT Administration to seal the ground floor of the house.

CFSL team visits spot

A team of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) today visited the PG in Sector 32 where the mishap took place, to probe the cause of the fire that claimed three young lives. Assisted by cops, the CFSL team inspected the entire house and the room where the fire broke out.

During its two-hour visit, the CFSL team also videographed the house interior.

Operator in 2-day remand

The police on produced the PG operator, Nitesh Bansal, in the court of the Duty Magistrate and sought his four-day custody. However, the court remanded him in two-day custody. Bansal will be questioned on the total number of students residing in the ill-fated PG, said a police official. The police said efforts were on to nab the remaining two suspects, including the house owner, who were evading arrest. Bansal’s partner Nitesh Popli and Gaurav Aneja, a Sector 30 resident, who is the owner of house number 3325 where the mishap took place, are yet to be arrested.