LUCKNOW A day after the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) recommended action against 18 officials for alleged lapses linked to the Aliganj commercial building fire, the authority forwarded more names to the state government, widening the scope of the inquiry beyond engineers and enforcement officials, highly placed sources in LDA told HT on Wednesday.A senior official familiar with the report said the names of the PCS officers have been sent separately to the state government because disciplinary action against them falls under the government’s jurisdiction. (Pic for representation)According to senior LDA officials who prepared the report, only four to five of the 18 officials named in the initial report have retired, while the majority continue to serve in government departments. Around three of them are currently posted in the LDA, while the remaining officers are serving in different districts and departments across the state.Sources said the authority has now recommended action against six PCS officers who held key positions in the LDA during the period when the building allegedly underwent unauthorised construction and continued commercial operations despite enforcement proceedings and notices being served.The latest development indicates that the inquiry is moving beyond field-level officials and examining the role of senior administrators who supervised enforcement activities, handled legal proceedings and monitored compliance with building regulations.A senior official familiar with the report said the names of the PCS officers have been sent separately to the state government because disciplinary action against them falls under the government’s jurisdiction.“The accountability process is continuing. The authority has examined records from different periods and has forwarded additional names wherever responsibility emerged during the inquiry,” the official said.PCS officers often get posted in LDA on positions such as vihit pradhikari, joint secretary, secretary and officer on special duty (OSD). They play a crucial role in processing enforcement cases, reviewing notices, supervising zonal offices and taking decisions related to unauthorised constructions.Officials said investigators reviewed records spanning nearly a decade to determine how the building continued to witness alleged violations despite repeated opportunities for regulatory intervention.A day after the devastating fire at a commercial complex in Sector D, Aliganj, LDA vice-chairman Prathamesh Kumar submitted a report to the state government recommending action against the then vihit pradhikari, five zonal officers, six assistant engineers and six junior engineers who served in enforcement zone 4 between 2016 and 2026.The inquiry found that the building stood on a 1,992 sq ft plot that was originally sanctioned for residential use. The property was purchased by brothers Virendra Pratap Shukla and Surendra Pratap Shukla in 2013, while the LDA approved a residential building map under the auto-map scheme in 2014.Investigators found that commercial activities gradually expanded from the premises and continued for years. The report alleged that officials posted at various levels failed to conduct effective monitoring or initiate timely enforcement measures.The inquiry also highlighted a crucial development from 2016. Records showed that authorities had issued a demolition order against the building but later revoked it after the builder submitted an application. Investigators concluded that the withdrawal of the demolition proceedings allowed unauthorized construction and commercial use to continue unchecked.Meanwhile, the LDA has launched a citywide enforcement drive against illegal commercial activities and unauthorized constructions.