Bhiwandi building collapse: Corporator, Oppn leader spar, bring debris clearing to a standstill

As residents struggled to recover their belongings on Sunday morning, a day after their residential building collapsed, a conflict broke out between the local corporator

As residents struggled to recover their belongings on Sunday morning, a day after their residential building collapsed, a conflict broke out between the local corporator and Opposition party leader, which brought the work of clearing the debris to a standstill.

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On Sunday morning, a group of private contractors was hired by Saddam Khan, a Samajwadi Party leader, to move the debris and help residents collect their belongings.

Khan, however, claimed the local corporator, Zakir Mirza, from the Congress, interfered and stopped the debris clearing work at 11am.

“I wanted to help people who were looking for their belongings. But the local corporator came and stopped us saying as I am not the corporator, I cannot do the work,” said Khan.

Residents were left stranded as a tiff ensued between the two politicians at the site. “We are losing all expectations from politicians as they are busy fighting. It was such a helpless situation that some residents climbed onto the debris, risking their lives, to search for their belongings,” said Roshan Ali Khan, 29, a local resident.

Mirza, however, denied the allegations. “My only intention to interfere was that there are valuables in the debris which might get stolen. As I am the corporator, I told them I will do the work by appointing a contractor through the legal process and under the inspection of the civic body,” said Mirza.

“I will ask the civic body to deploy two guards at the site so there is no theft,” he added.