Gurugram admin to conduct audit of dilapidated buildings

Nishant Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner, Gurugram, said the five-member committee, headed by subdivisional magistrate Ravinder Yadav, has started the inquiry process. “A team from the labour department is collecting details and compensation shall be provided to the injured and the families of the deceased,” he said

The district administration has formed a five-member committee to investigate the collapse of a dilapidated building in Udyog Vihar Phase 1, while it was being demolished on Monday, killing two workers and injuring two more. The administration officials said they will also conduct an audit of all industrial and commercial buildings that are in a dilapidated state and requires urgent repairs or demolition.

Gurugram, India - Oct. 03, 2022: NDRF and SDRF personnel during a rescue operation after an old building collapsed while it was being demolished, at Udyog Vihar Phase I, early morning in Gurugram, India, on Monday, October 03, 2022. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Nishant Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner, Gurugram, said the five-member committee, headed by subdivisional magistrate Ravinder Yadav, has started the inquiry process. “A team from the labour department is collecting details and compensation shall be provided to the injured and the families of the deceased,” he said.

Yadav said he has directed the team to conduct an audit of all buildings in the industrial and commercial areas of the district to ensure they are safe and pose no threat to life. He said wherever such buildings are being demolished, the entire exercise must be carried out under the supervision of experts.

“The team will identify buildings in a dilapidated condition across the city and will direct the owners to inform them regarding their demolition. A survey will be started this week to identify such decrepit structures so as to prevent them from collapsing and putting the lives of workers at risk,” he said.

Officials said apart from the SDM, the committee consists of an assistant labour commissioner, assistant director of industrial safety and health department, executive engineer of the public works department and a senior manager of Haryana State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC).

“This committee will investigate the reason for Monday’s collapse, fix responsibility, suggest safety measures to avoid such an incident in the future and help family members of the deceased get relief and compensation,” Yadav said.

A team from the district administration and police visited the site by Monday evening and collected samples of the construction material used in the building.

The scene of crime team from the forensic science Laboratory (FSL), Madhuban, Karnal, on Monday also collected samples of concrete, iron bars, cement and other material, to check the strength and quality of material used in the construction.

According to the preliminary probe, demolition work on the first floor led to the collapse, but the exact nature of demolition work was not clear yet, as two other floors were already demolished, said officials.