Old Delhi collapse toll jumps to 6; owner held

Police said the workers had warned contractors about the unstable structure, but their concerns were allegedly ignored to avoid additional construction costs.

Rescuers pulled four more bodies from the debris of the collapsed building in old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar on Saturday, taking the death toll to six, and police announced they had arrested the building’s owner.

NDRF rescue team at the building collapsed spot at Seesh Mahal area in Chawri Bazar, in New Delhi. (Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times)

The first of the day’s bodies, recovered around 3am, was identified as Pankaj Sharma, whose family had been searching for him since the collapse. Rescuers found the body of Shantu in the afternoon and sent it by ambulance to Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. The bodies of Vipin Ram and Dinesh Sah were recovered in the evening. Rescue operations were still under way at the time of filing. The owner was identified as Saimullah alias Ayub, a resident of Gali Sitara near Ajmeri Gate.

Eight people pulled from debris, two injured workers stable

Sharma was his family’s sole breadwinner, said his brother Shambhu Kumar, 41. He is survived by his mother, his wife and their children. “The eldest daughter is young and they were planning for her wedding and looking for a suitable match. The youngest is the son aged around five years old. Sharma was the sole breadwinner of the family. We don’t know how they will manage now,” Kumar said.

Families of Dinesh Sah and Vipin Ram left without primary earners

Deputy commissioner of police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said Vipin Ram, Dinesh Sah and Shantu were all in their late 40s and originally from Bihar. Kumar, who knew Dinesh, said he was 48 and is survived by his wife, his mother, two sons and three daughters, none of the children yet married. “He had been living in the village for nearly three years but came here just two months ago after a dispute in the family. He was trying to get back on his feet by working as a daily-wage labourer. His family depended on him,” he said.

Kumar was also a friend of Vipin Ram, who is survived by his wife, elderly parents, four daughters and a five-year-old son. “He had been working outside for quite some time. His younger brother was in Amritsar, while Vipin had been staying here most of the time,” Kumar said. Vipin’s brother was camping at the site, he added.

Workers had warned contractors about unstable structure, FIR says

The workers had warned that the structure would not hold, according to the FIR in the case. In his complaint to the police, a copy of which HT has seen, Firoz, a construction worker from Bihar who lives in Mandawali, said the contractors repeatedly brushed aside their concerns.

“We had informed the contractors that the lintel had not dried up and we cannot put another one... to support the lintel, more cement and wood is required... but they asked us to continue saying that the cost would increase,” he said. The contractors had engaged him and other workers to build on a plot of around 70 square yards, where three concrete, had already been laid.

Police arrested three contractors, Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan, all residents of the Ajmeri Gate area, from Sirohi village in Faridabad’s Dauj tehsil in the early hours of Friday, DCP Singh said. The FIR names Tajuddin and Furkan as accused. It invokes sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 290 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, repairing or constructing buildings), 125(a) (negligent act with respect to buildings) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

MCD received police alert months before the building collapsed

Delhi Police had alerted the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to the construction nearly five months before the collapse. MCD acknowledged receiving the letter. It said a subsequent inspection found the owner carrying out repairs that its maintenance department had advised in April. A later inquiry by the civic body alleged that the owner had used that advisory as cover to clandestinely build fresh second and third floors without the requisite permissions.

The narrow lanes of the walled city kept heavy machinery, including JCB excavators, from reaching the site. Fire personnel and other rescue teams have had to clear much of the debris by hand. Residents of neighbouring buildings were evacuated after police warned that one of the adjoining structures was in a precarious condition.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta ordered the immediate suspension of the junior engineer and assistant engineer concerned, a detailed inquiry and an FIR against the contractor. She also directed officials to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured and ex gratia assistance for the families of the dead.