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Lucknow building collapse: Two dead, 14 rescued, Yogi Adityanath orders probe
Three-member panel to submit report on Lucknow building collapse within a week, FIR lodged against three; former SP minister’s son arrested
Two women died on Wednesday while a total of 14 people were rescued from the debris of the residential building, Alaya Apartment, that collapsed on Wazir Hasan Road in Lucknow on Tuesday evening even as chief minister Yogi Adityanath set up a time-bound inquiry to fix accountability for the shocking lapse. The inquiry committee will submit its report within a week.
The deceased have been identified as Begum Haider, 75, and her daughter-in-law Uzma Talha, 35.
Begum Haider, who was rescued on Wednesday morning, died at the Civil Hospital here while undergoing treatment.
Uzma Talha was recovered dead during the rescue operation that had continued for 18 hours.
“She (Uzma) passed away before we could do anything,” said Dr Anil Ojha, director, Civil Hospital.
Uzma was the wife of Abbas Haider, national spokesperson of the Samajwadi Party.
After the rescue operation by the NDRF and SDRF teams ended in the afternoon, the Lucknow administration started removing the debris.
The Lucknow police have started a crackdown on those allegedly responsible for the tragedy.
The police lodged an FIR at the Hazratganj police station against three persons in connection with the incident and arrested one of them.
“FIR has been lodged against Nawazish Shahid, Mohammad Tariq and Fahad Yazdan of Yazdan developer at the Hazratganj police station,” said Lucknow police commissioner SB Shiradkar.
Nawazish Shahid was arrested from Meerut (late on Tuesday night) and brought to Lucknow.
He is the son of Samajwadi Party MLA from Meerut, Shahid Manzoor, who was a minister in the Samajwadi Party government.
The Lucknow police presented Nawazish Shahid before the court on Wednesday which sent him to judicial custody.
“Several police teams have been constituted to arrest the remaining two persons who are absconding,” said Shiradkar.
The FIR has been lodged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code including 304, 308, 323, 420, 120B and Section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act (CLA).
“The reasons for the collapse of the building could not be ascertained yet. This probe is a technical issue. The chief minister has constituted a three-member committee that will submit its report,” said Shiradkar.
The committee comprises divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob, joint police commissioner of Lucknow Piyush Mordia and chief engineer of the PWD will fix accountability for the tragedy.
One missing
Shabana, who was residing at the Alaya Apartment, could not be traced till Wednesday evening.
“We have come to know that Shabana was also staying in the apartment when the building collapsed. We are trying to locate her,” said Shiradkar.
“It will take another 36 to 48 hours to remove the debris of the collapsed building,” Shiradkar added.
