The contractors overseeing construction of the building that collapsed in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar on Thursday, killing at least two people, allegedly ignored warnings from workers about the poor quality of construction material and the structure’s inability to support another concrete slab, according to the first information report (FIR) registered in the incident.
3 arrested in connection with building collapse
The collapse also exposed serious enforcement lapses. Fire personnel and other rescue teams had to rely largely on manual debris removal. Residents of neighbouring buildings were evacuated after police warned that one adjoining structure was in a precarious condition. Police are continuing their investigation into the construction activity and the circumstances leading to the collapse.
In his statement to the police, complainant Firoz, a 37-year-old construction worker from Bihar who lives in Mandawali and survived the collapse, alleged that the contractors were repeatedly alerted about the structural concerns but insisted that the work continue, saying that making the changes would increase construction costs. In a letter dated June 15, the station house officer of Hauz Qazi police station had alerted the deputy commissioner of MCD’s City SP Zone about new residential construction spread over around 70 square yards at property number 4547-48 in Wali Sheesh Mahal, Ajmeri Gate, and sought action.
The arrests come amid questions over how construction continued at the site despite the building allegedly having no sanctioned plan and Delhi Police having alerted the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) about construction activity in the area nearly five months before the collapse. In the early hours of Friday, Delhi Police arrested three contractors in connection with the Chawri Bazar building collapse case, officials aware of the matter said on Friday. The rescue operation on Thursday was hampered by the extremely narrow lanes of the walled city, which prevented heavy machinery from reaching the site.
