Delhi: Roof slab of building under construction collapses, 8 injured

New Delhi: Eight people were injured after a roof slab of a building under construction in central Delhi’s Paharganj area collapsed on Sunday, November 15 evening, police said, barely 10 days after a similar incident in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar claimed seven lives.

The incident took place at a property in Sangatrashan, opposite the Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Paharganj.

According to police, construction work for a hotel building was underway when a portion of the structure collapsed. The roof slab of the second floor was being laid when the incident occurred.

A PCR call regarding the partial collapse was received at Paharganj police station, following which police personnel rushed to the spot and initiated rescue operations.

“A total of eight people sustained injuries and were shifted to Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital for treatment. The injured have been identified as Sheikh Saddam (37), Sheikh Raja (20), Mohammad Suhail (50), Sanjud Khan (40), Gautam Yadav (28), Varun Yadav (36), Raja (36) and Mantsu (40),” a senior police officer said.

According to preliminary information, some of the injured have suffered fractures, while others sustained minor injuries. Their medical examination and treatment are underway, the officer said.

Structure appeared to have tilted

During a preliminary inspection, the supporting columns of the building were found to be wet, and the structure appeared to have tilted, raising concerns about its stability. The circumstances leading to the collapse are being examined, and further legal action is being initiated, he added.

The Delhi Fire Services also received a call regarding the collapse at 4.40 pm. Two water tenders and an emergency response team were rushed to the location.

According to fire department officials, the roof slab was initially reported to have collapsed during construction work. The injured were shifted to hospital by PCR personnel and local residents before the fire department teams reached the spot.

Police are examining the condition of the building and the circumstances under which the construction work was being carried out even when GRAP restrictions remain in force in Delhi-NCR.

Soon after Chawri Bazar incident

The latest incident comes just over a week after a three-storey building coming up in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar area collapsed on November 5, killing seven people and triggering an extensive multi-agency rescue operation.

The building, located in Gali Sitara near Chawri Bazar metro station in the Hauz Qazi area, collapsed during construction work. Around 10 to 15 labourers were present at the site at the time.

The death toll in the incident rose to seven after rescue teams recovered bodies from beneath the debris. The deceased were identified as Sanjeet Kumar, Kishori Sah, Pankaj Sharma, Vipin Ram, Shantu, Dinesh Sah and Luchhuman Mukhiya. Four of them were residents of Bihar.

4 arrests, 2 suspensions in Chawri Bazar case

The building owner, identified as Saimullah alias Ayub, and three contractors—Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan—were arrested in connection with the collapse.

According to police, the Chawri Bazar building was allegedly being constructed without requisite approvals. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi had said no building plan had been sanctioned for the structure.

The civic body had also suspended a junior engineer and an assistant engineer following the incident, while the Delhi government ordered an inquiry into the collapse.

The two building collapses within a span of 10 days have once again brought the safety of structures under construction in the capital under scrutiny.

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