Collapse site turns 'picnic spot'

In an ironic turn to the Lalita Park building collapse tragedy, the remains of the ill-fated seven-storey structure have become the latest blimp on the Capital's disaster tourism map.

In an ironic turn to the Lalita Park building collapse tragedy, the remains of the ill-fated seven-storey structure have become the latest blimp on the Capital's disaster tourism map.

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"It appears as if the area has become a picnic spot of sorts. People start streaming in from as early as 8am, ask for directions to the spot where the building stood and spend the next couple of hours staring at dead bodies being pulled out

of the rubble," said Pramod Kumar, general secretary of the Lalita Park Residents' Welfare Association.

Much to the chagrin of its residents, undivided electronic media attention is attracting scores of visitors to its bylanes, some of them clutching newspaper clippings of reports about the disaster and comparing them with the actual surroundings.

"I was on my way home from work last night and was just about to turn into a lane near the community centre, when a car pulled up near me and asked me what would be the best time of the day to visit the accident spot," said Sonu Kumar, 25, a mechanic, who resides in the area.

"They said they wanted to see rescue workers in action," Kumar added.

"So far, only seven or eight people have come forward and offered help in the form of cash or food," said Jagdish Sharma, who stays two buildings away from the crumbled structure.

"However, more than two dozen people can be seen flocking to the spot almost every hour, just to see first-hand what television channels have been showing non-stop for the last three days," Sharma added.