New Delhi: 2 people have died after a three-storey under-construction building collapsed in Gali Sattara, Sheesh Mahal, near Chawri Bazaar Metro Station in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk area on Thursday, Delhi police said.
According to the fire department, a call regarding the building collapse was received at around 9:50 am under the jurisdiction of Paiwalan. Following this, six fire department units were rushed to the spot: two water tenders, one water bowser, one Quick Response Vehicle (QRV) and one Incident Response Team (IRT) were initially dispatched to the spot.
Following this, one additional water tender and Assistant Divisional Officer (ADO) Rajesh Shukla were sent to the site, taking the total number of deployed units to six.
At around 10:15 am, Station Officer DK Rai informed the department that a three-storey building under construction had collapsed and that some people might be trapped inside. He also sought additional manpower and the presence of a senior officer. The operation is being attended by ADO Rajesh Shukla, Station Officer (STO) Bhupender Sharma and SO DK Rai.
An eye-witness Mohd Nayeem said, “This happened around 9:00 or 9:30. We were asleep when we heard a crashing sound. We all got up and rushed outside. We thought our own house was collapsing. When we checked, we realized it was the house being built next door. Three or four lintels had already been cast, and they all collapsed at once. One of the injured laborers said there were about three or four people there. We saw a body being taken out. This building was under construction for the last 3-4 months…”
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj attacked the Rekha Gupta government and raised questions over building safety audits and alleged corruption in enforcement by civic and other government departments in Delhi.
In a post on X, Bharadwaj wrote, “Another 3-storey building collapses at Chawri Bazaar/Chandni Chowk. Many feared trapped under debris. Rekha Gupta’s government and MCD conducted multiple safety audits of all buildings in Delhi, yet buildings keep collapsing. Why?” he said.
He further accused the different departments associated of corruption and alleged that those who refuse to pay bribes get sealed by MCD.
“Safety audits have been ordered repeatedly, but instead of real action, multiple departments collected bribes many times, which is why buildings collapse every month. Earlier, only @DelhiPolice and @MCD_Delhi took bribes; after Rekha Gupta’s government, the Fire Department and SDMs (Revenue Department under her) also started collecting bribes from buildings. Those who refuse to pay bribes get sealed by MCD,” he alleged.
“This explains the pick-and-choose enforcement, shocking that two gyms in GK2 market were sealed in a ward while other gyms and commercial buildings stay open in same south zone,” he added. (ANI)
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.