Building tilts in Paharganj, residents evacuated
New Delhi:
A five-storeyed building tilted in the Bharat Nagar area of Paharganj on Tuesday, creating panic among residents.
The colony, Shora Kothi, is just about 2.8 kms from Anaj Mandi, where a massive factory fire killed 45 people on December 8.
Officers of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation rushed with police to the spot. People inside were evacuated and the structure was provided support with wooden pillars to prevent an immediate collapse.
“It’s an unsafe building and we will demolish it,” said north corporation commissioner Varsha Joshi. She said she will find out if the owners/constructors got a map of the building sanctioned with the civic body, or if the authorities were kept in the dark and the structure raised illegally.
The building was still under construction, with bricks exposed and no plaster on it.
Standing committee chairperson of the north body, Jai Prakash, however, said, “The building was illegal. Our team has visited the spot and noted what all went wrong.” A local, Rajinder Uppal, said, “There was an earthquake last week and we believe the sewer line below it burst, leading to dirty water flooding the structure from underneath. We think it weakened the foundation of the building and led it to tilt.”
A local police personnel, however, said, “This building was still under construction and locals have told us that they had complained to the area municipality about the inferior quality material being used.” No arrests had been made in this regard till Tuesday evening.
