Delhi Police said that the death toll from the collapse of the double building in Rohini Sector 16 reached three, after a 14-hour rescue operation that ended on Thursday morning, confirming that five people were trapped in the two buildings and two of them were rescued alive.
The police said they have also registered a case on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and negligent conduct, in connection with the construction. The deceased have been identified as the husband of the building owner, Ram Dua, 62, worker MD Kaif, 24, and a passerby, Ram Kishan, 42. Kaif’s cousin, Mohammed Saddam, was rescued along with Kishan’s friend, Ravi Singh.
The rescue operation continued till 6.45 am on Thursday, Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said. “All the four floors were stacked on top of each other and we had to dig and remove the material manually using ropes and excavators. After a lot of digging, we were able to find one person, Kaif, at 12.45am. Another person, Dua, was found at 2.30am, and by 6.45am, we had checked all the gaps. However, one team remained stationed at the scene until the rubble was completely removed.”
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The probe reveals the cheap materials used
Police said the initial investigation into the collapse revealed the use of “cheap” materials in the building.
“We have found that there are some construction workers and a few contractors involved in the investigation. We are trying to locate them and question them. We are also writing to the Building and Construction Department. A case of culpable homicide has been filed as there is clear criminal negligence… The people who made the building knew it was weak,” a senior police officer said.
The families of the deceased held contractors and builders responsible for the collapse.
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Dua’s family members said the two plots of land on which the buildings were constructed were registered in the names of Dua’s wife, Manju, and daughter-in-law, Ritika, and his two sons, Rahul and Vishal, run a family catering business.
Dua family members said they ensured compliance with laws at every step of the construction process. “We have been trying to contact the builder since yesterday, but he is not answering calls,” Ritika’s brother Dhruv told HT.
At BSA Hospital, the Kishan and Kaif families blamed the poor construction of the building. Kishan was a mechanic and ran a repair shop with his friend Ravi. The duo was returning to their shop on their motorcycle when the debris fell on Kishan’s head.
“The building was leaning forward for two-three days. A month ago, there was a problem with one of the pillars. They should have demolished such a building on the way back,” said Shyam, Kishan’s twin brother.
His family members said that Kaif, who was handling plastering works in Paris, had only joined the business two days ago, adding that they learned of his death through a radio news channel.
