Indian Express 16.11.2010
MCD has a lot to answer as Delhi govt orders probe
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit ordered a probe into the building collapse in Lalita Park on Monday night but questions were already being asked about the role of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in allowing unauthorised construction in the area.
Declining comment on what may have led to the collapse, the MCD maintained it was busy in rescue-and-relief operations and its deputy commissioners would provide details regarding the building. MCD spokesman Deep Mathur said all efforts had been channelised into rescue operations. “No one knew the building would collapse.”
The building that collapsed was located in an unauthorised colony that had been regularised. Most buildings in the area were built without clearances.
Yoginder Chandolia, chairperson of the Standing Committee of MCD, told Newsline that water seepage led to the collapse. “The building is located on the banks of Yamuna. During the recent flood, water reached the building foundation and weakened it considerably, resulting in the collapse,” he said.
Chandolia said the fact that it was an unauthorised colony meant that the building had been constructed without clearances. “The landlord kept building more floors. More than a hundred people lived there. The building was around 15 years old. The MCD did not know it was going to collapse,” he said.
Police identified the owner of the building as Amrit Singh and said he was absconding with his family. He is a resident of R-Block in the area. The owner, police claimed, kept building more floors without checking if the pillars could take the load.
The building collapse has given rise to fears about the safety of other buildings in the area. But MCD officials, whose job it is to alert residents about potentially dangerous buildings, were silent on when was the last time they had checked on the locality.
Mathur said a probe has been ordered. “We are working with the Fire Service and police to rescue those trapped inside. We have alerted hospitals as well,” he said.
