NEW DELHI, June 14: Four managers of Uphaar cinema hall were arrested, five Delhi Vidyut Board officials suspended and a high-ranking official transferred today in the wake of the inferno which killed 59 people on Friday.

The four managers of Uphaar cinema Kishan Lal Malhotra, Nirmal Singh Chopra, Radha Kishan Sharma and Major Ajit Chowdhary were produced before Metropolitan Magistrate V K Goyal, who remanded them to custody for 14 days.

The prosecution argued that since both the transformers (the one which served the Green Park area and the one for Uphaar cinema hall) were located on the premises of the theatre, the management was responsible for any accidents caused due to their malfunctioning, notwithstanding the claim that the transformer which burst belonged to the DVB.

Meanwhile, DVB suspended five officials and transferred Additional Chief Engineer Y P Minocha following the fire, which has been blamed on a faulty transformer. The suspended DVB officials are: executive engineer Deepak Kapoor, superintending Engineer B R Oberoi, assistant engineer Bharadwaj and Inspectors B M Sathiya and A K Ghera.

Addressing a press conference today, Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma said: ``There was reportedly a fault in the transformer on Friday morning. This was repaired by DVB inspectors at around 10.30 am. But, obviously, it wasn't repaired satisfactorily. The fact that the fire happened on the same day is of significance.''

A committee, headed by MCD Deputy Commissioner (South) Naresh Kumar, has been constituted to conduct investigations into the fire. The report is expected to be submitted within a fortnight.

The chief minister also announced that a five-member magisterial committee would be formed in each of the 27 sub-divisions in the Capital to probe how fire-prone the city's buildings are. The first reports from the sub-divisions are expected to be submitted on Monday. According to Sahib Singh, the committees will be headed by the area's Sub-Divisional Magistrate. They will include an official each from the DVB, Delhi Fire Service, Delhi Police, Delhi Government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The panel will conduct a monthly inspection and submit a report once every two months. The chief minister plans to look into the recommendations every six months.

Asked if he would increase the compensation amount to the families of the victims, he replied: ``If any family finds our compensation inadequate, they can approach the Delhi Government. We will consider the case and increase the assistance if necessary.''

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.