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8 injured after portion of under-construction building collapses in Delhi’s Paharganj
According to Delhi Fire Services, a call regarding the incident was received at 4:40 pm, following which the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital.
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At least eight people suffered injuries after a portion of a two-storey building collapsed on the workers in central Delhi’s Paharganj area on Sunday evening. The Delhi Police said the building was under construction and the victims were laying the roof for the second floor when the incident took place.
Police said all victims were rescued within an hour and nobody was in critical condition.
According to the Delhi Fire Service, a call was received around 4:40 pm from the Sangatrashan area in Paharganj about a house collapse opposite a government girls’ school.
The Delhi Fire Service said that three fire tenders were rushed to the spot. “Around 5:25 pm, the team sent a message that the roof slab had collapsed and five persons were taken out by the public and PCR before the DFS team arrived. The DFS teams are still removing debris to look for any more injured persons, if any,” said an official.
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Police said around eight persons were working at the under-construction hotel site in Paharganj. The victims were identified as Sheikh Saddam (37), Sheikh Raja (20), Mohd Suhail (50), Sanjud Khan (40), Gautam Yadav (28), Varun Yadav (36), Raja (36) and Mantu (40).
“At the time of the incident, the roof slab of the second floor was being laid when a portion of the building collapsed. On receipt of the information, police staff immediately reached the spot and initiated necessary response measures. During preliminary inspection, the supporting columns were found to be wet, and the building appeared to have tilted,” said DCP (central) Rohit Rajbir Singh.
“We helped rescue all the workers, who have been shifted to Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital for treatment. They are stable. Some suffered fractures, others had minor injuries. We will take strict legal action after ascertaining facts in the case,” he added.
Around 10 days back, another major case of building collapse was reported in Delhi’s Chawri Bazaar, where a three-storey under-construction building collapsed, killing seven people.
The rescue operation went on from November 5 till November 8 as several persons were trapped under heavy debris.
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta had announced ex-gratia assistance of ₹10 lakhs for each of the families of the deceased. The Delhi Police had arrested the building owner, Samula, along with three building contractors. The probe had revealed that the structure was unauthorised and no safety norms were being followed. The rescue operation also went on slow due to the narrow and congested lanes.
