Kolkata: At least Eight killed and several injured after a portion of an under construction five- storey building collapsed at Garden Reach area on Sunday late night. Till the time of reporting, according to local people, several people are still feared to be below the debris and rescue operations are still continuing. The bodies have been sent to SSKM hospital for post mortem and the injured people have been admitted in a nearby hospital.
A part of the five-storey building collapsed on the adjacent slum at Hazari Mollah Bagan in Garden Reach area. It is pertinent to mention that the area where the calamity took place is under the Assembly constituency of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor Firhad Hakim.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee despite being injured herself has rushed to the spot along with KMC Mayor Firhad Hakim and Fire and Emergency Minister Sujit Bose and Kolkata (South) sitting MP and candidate Mala Roy. After seeing the situation herself, Mamata had instructed strict action against those involved in ‘illegal’ promoting works.
“I have heard that some buildings are made illegally here and permission was not taken. I had asked the Mayor whether permission was taken for the building and he had said no. I would request the administration to take strict action against those who are involved in such illegal activities,” said Mamata.
The West Bengal Chief Minister also announced a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh for the deceased and Rs. 1 lakh to the injured. Later, Mamata also met the injured people in a nearby hospital. Following the Chief Minister’s instruction police had arrested a promoter Mohammad Wasim.
Mayor Firhad Hakim said that it is ‘not’ possible for the corporation to take stock of everything. A local person on anonymity said that the water bodies in the area illegally filled to set up multi-storey buildings.
“There is no one who can complain against this as everyone has life risk. This is a small lane and the water bodies are illegally filled to develop multi-storey buildings. This is the outcome that has happened which took several lives,” said the local resident.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose also visited the spot and met the injured at the hospital and mentioned that ‘law will take its own course of action’. The opposition political parties slammed the ruling Trinamool Congress over the calamity and illegal activities.
