4-storey building collapses in Amritsar, no casualty
AMRITSAR: Even though no casualty was reported after a 50-year-old four-storey building collapsed in Cheel Mandi area in Amritsar on Monday night, the incident has drawn focus on scores of unsafe buildings in the city.
With the arrival of monsoon in Punjab and authorities not taking lesson from the deaths caused by building collapses in the past, many unsafe structures are awaiting tragedy.
At around 11pm on Monday, a four-storied residential building collapsed and eight people had a narrow escape. On hearing the noise, the neighbours came out and helped clear the debris. As per police, owner of the house was running an embroidery factory in the building’s fourth floor. Due to strong vibrations caused by operation of the machines, the building collapsed.
However, locals are blaming officials of the Amritsar municipal corporation for allowing the owner to construct a fourth floor on the building which was at that time 40-year-old.
This is not the first time when an old building has collapsed in the recent times. On July 12, a couple had died after the roof of their house on Dhapai Road collapsed due to high-velocity winds and rain. Another couple and their six-month-old twins had died when the roof of their house had collapsed following a hailstorm and heavy rain at Moole Chak village on March 6.
MC commissioner Komal Mittal said, “Before onset of monsoon every year, we conduct a survey for unsafe buildings. As per the survey conducted in 2020, 122 buildings in Amritsar were declared unsafe. MC had demolished one of these buildings, which was in a dilapidated state. Owners of remaining buildings were given official notices to either vacate the structures or repair the faults. I have deployed special teams to conduct a drive to recheck status of these buildings.”