PWD probe finds structural fault in Greater Noida factory

A day after two firefighters were killed during a firefighting operation at an electronic chip manufacturing factory in Greater Noida, a Public Works Department (PWD) inspection found an “engineering fault” in the building structure and directed that testing of the building material be carried out by a recognised institute

A day after two firefighters were killed during a firefighting operation at an electronic chip manufacturing factory in Greater Noida, a Public Works Department (PWD) inspection found an “engineering fault” in the building structure and directed that testing of the building material be carried out by a recognised institute.

The department also declared the premises “unsafe” and recommended that the building remain closed until the investigation is complete. (HT Photos)

The department also declared the premises “unsafe” and recommended that the building remain closed until the investigation is complete.

On Tuesday, around 5 am, a first-floor wall along with an iron beam suddenly fell onto a team of firefighters who were carrying out cooling operations after a fire at the two-storey ILJIN Electronics unit in Udyog Vihar-2, Ecotech-3. Two firefighters —Rohit Yadav (32) and Teerath Pal Singh (48) — were killed, while three others were injured.

A PWD team inspected the building’s premises and structure on Wednesday morning. “Prima facie, our investigation found a complete engineering fault in the building structure. The collapse of the structure, including the column, indicates that there is a serious issue,” said executive engineer Kanchan Singh.

According to the company, they were not involved in the construction of the building and had purchased it from someone else, Singh said.

HT’s request for a comment from the firm did not elicit any response till Wednesday.

Adding that the company was directed not to use the structure, she said, “The building is unsafe to operate. A wall has collapsed, and during rainfall, the risk of another incident could increase.”

The fire broke out around 3am and it took nearly two hours to contain the blaze. Pradeep Kumar Chaubey, chief fire officer (Gautam Budh Nagar) said, “Prima facie it was suspected that the fire broke out following a short-circuit. However, a detailed investigation is underway.”

No case has been registered so far in the incident with the investigation still ongoing, according to DCP (central Noida) Shailendra Singh, adding action will be taken after a final report.

The injured firefighters — identified as drivers Teerath Pal Singh and Rajpal Singh, and firemen Rohit Yadav, Manish Kumar and Amit Kumar — were in stable condition, officials said.