Ghaziabad: FIR against flat owner after balcony collapse kills man, 5-year-old boy

The accused, Sabina Khan, had constructed a bathroom in her balcony, and leakage from it likely weakened the structure

A day after a five-year-old boy and his 25-year-old uncle were crushed to death by debris from a crumbling flat in Tulsi Niketan, Ghaziabad on Wednesday night, the police booked the flat owner for causing death by negligence.

The incident spot on Thursday. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The accused was identified as Sabina Khan. Police said that she had allegedly constructed a bathroom in her balcony, and leakage from it likely weakened the structure, leading to the collapse. The victims were identified as Vansh alias Laddu and his uncle Akash Kumar.

“We registered a first information report on Thursday based on a complaint given by the boy’s family,” said Atul Kumar Singh, assistant commissioner of police of Shalimar Garden circle.

“Our teams are trying to search for Sabina Khan in connection with the incident and FIR lodged against her. It has come to light that the balcony of her flat had a bathroom constructed, and leakage probably caused the structure to weaken, and finally the collapse took place. The houses in the locality are already in a dilapidated condition and the additional structure on the balcony probably could not sustain weight,” said Kartar Singh, station house officer of Tila Morh police station.

Laddu and Kumar were standing outside a shop on the ground floor when a portion of Khan’s first-floor balcony collapsed around 8.30pm. They were rushed to Delhi’s GTB Hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead.

“The two had gone to a shop below Sabina Khan’s house which has an issue of leakage, and she did not pay heed to complaints by locals. This led to death of both victims due to negligence on the part of the house owner. This was also against the norms of Ghaziabad Development Authority,” the FIR said.

The FIR was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 290 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, repairing or constructing buildings etc) and 106(1) (causing death by negligence).

“Prima facie, we have come to know that there was some additional structure constructed on the balcony of the flat, and our team is trying to inquire about this. A report will soon be prepared in this regard and submitted to the vice chairperson,” said Rudresh Shukla, media coordinator of GDA.

GDA officials said that Tulsi Niketan has yet to be handed over to the corporation.

The GDA board in its meeting on March 18 has cleared a proposal for the redevelopment of Tulsi Niketan.The project involves reconstructing 2,292 flats and 60 shops, which officials admit are no longer structurally sound.

The Tulsi Niketan scheme was developed by the GDA in 1989-90 and spans over 56,639 square metres.

Over the years, poor maintenance and ageing construction have rendered many of the buildings unsafe.

Residents have long complained about the crumbling infrastructure, and Wednesday’s tragedy appears to confirm those fears.

This is not the first time concerns have been raised over the structural integrity of the colony’s buildings.