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Two buildings, including under-construction, collapse in Lucknow within 2 minutes
The video capturing the collapse went viral on social media. After the buildings collapsed at around 1 pm, the police immediately reached the site and sealed the entire area.
Two buildings, one of which was under construction, collapsed simultaneously in Arya Nagar of the Naka police station area in Lucknow on Wednesday afternoon. There was no loss of life, as confirmed by the police.
The video capturing the collapse went viral on social media. After the buildings collapsed at around 1 pm, the police immediately reached the site and sealed the entire area.
“There was no loss of life; people living in the building were safely evacuated,” said Manisha Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP), central.
According to locals, digging in one of the under-construction buildings led to cracks in the other, subsequently causing the collapse of both buildings.
One of the families living as tenants started protesting, demanding immediate action, as the family living in the building demanded compensation. The family stopped the protest after the Lucknow development authority (LDA) official promised to.
Later, several senior officials, including the municipal commissioner, reached the site for inspection.
“Not only was their house damaged in the accident, but the goods kept in the house were also damaged,” said Vimla, a tenant in the collapsed building who claimed to have been living there for over five decades.
Buildings touched ground in just 2 minutes
In the viral video, both buildings came crashing down like cards after developing cracks.
According to people, cracks started appearing on the building next to the under-construction one.
As soon as the information was received, the police force from Naka police station reached, and ACP Kaiserbagh reached the spot. Later, municipal commissioner Indrajeet Singh also reached. “The matter will be investigated whether the map was passed. So far, one was injured in this accident,” said Singh.
Houses belonged to cousin brothers
According to the police, both houses that turned into debris belonged to cousin brothers. “The two-storeyed under-construction building belonged to one Anil Dwivedi, alias Ramji, an advocate by profession, while the house adjacent to it belonged to his cousin Virendra Dwivedi, where a family of Vimla was living on rent,” said Naka Hindola SHO Tejbahadur Singh.
“A total of 7-8 people were living, including the owner, in the fully constructed house, while in the under-constructed house, 1-2 people were also living. The rented family claimed that they were living for over five decades in the house,” the SHO added.
“Complaints are being received, following which action will be taken against the accused,” he said.
Locals allege basement digging as cause
Locals told reporters that Dwivedi was getting his house built, where excavation was done in the basement of the house one and a half months ago. “One and a half months ago, Dwivedi had stopped the excavation going on in the basement of the house. Then the people nearby had asked Dwivedi to get the basement filled and complete the construction. But, he did not get the construction done. Ramji started digging the basement deeper on Wednesday,” the locals said. Some even claimed that the owners did not obtain clearance for this development from the relevant department, as residential areas are not permitted to have a basement. However, when asked about the reason for the collapse, the ADCP who had reached the site said, “The exact reason for the collapse is unknown, the concerned department has been informed.”
Cracks panicked people
“At 12 noon, the wooden beams in Ramji’s building first started cracking,” said Shiva Kumar, a resident. “Some debris also started falling from above,” said Vimla, who was living on rent in Virendra’s house; she also came out with her family. Panicked people informed the police about the falling debris. Then at around 1:15 pm, both buildings collapsed one by one. “Both buildings were vacant at the time of the accident, and no one is trapped,” said the ADCP.
Past incidents (2023)
Jan 24: A five-storeyed Alaya Apartment building on Wazir Hasan road came crashing down, killing three people (including two women from a family) and injuring and rendering several families homeless.
Feb 2: A two-storeyed house in the city’s Vineet Khand-I area that developed cracks earlier allegedly due to digging activities at an adjacent construction site, rendering a family of nine to make a truck their temporary abode.
May 5: A portion of a three-storeyed old government residential building collapsed behind Tilak Marg at Dalibagh area under Hazratganj police station limit in Lucknow, injuring several who were rescued later.
July 4: Roads started collapsing, developing cracks in multiple houses after massive digging for a basement of a building in Gola Ganj area of Lucknow. Over half-a-dozen houses turned homeless. Later, an FIR was registered against the builders.
Sept 16: Five people of a family, including three children, died in Fateh Ali Ka Talab railway colony, after a dilapidated railway building belonging to Northern Railway (NR) of Lucknow’s roof collapsed.
Sept 28: A 27-year-old man and his 2-year-old daughter died after the basement of an under-construction multiple-level parking lot of Antriksh Apartment caved in near Kalindi Park of Sector-11 Vrindavan Yojana.
