Ludhiana factory owner held, 3 firemen missing
Rescue operations are still on, three days after the tragedy at the plastic factory that killed 13, and wait gets harrowing for the families of firemen who are yet to be traced
LUDHIANA: Three firemen are still believed to be trapped in the rubble of a plastic factory that collapsed in Ludhiana on Monday, killing 13 people, including six fire fighters. The Punjab Police on Wednesday arrested Inderjit Singh Gola, the owner of plastic Factory, after police added culpable homicide not amounting to murder charge against him.
The factory owner had built three floors illegally said, police commissioner RN Dhoke.
LUDHIANA: Waking up to the horrifying plastic factory collapse that claimed 13 lives in the city, with three firemen still trapped under the debris, the Ludhiana police on Wednesday arrested its owner Inderjit Singh Gola.
Police added Sections 304 of the IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) in the FIR against Gola, owner of Gola Plastic factory, which caught fire and collapsed on Monday, resulting into the death of six firemen and seven others.
The accused was arrested from his residence in Model Town Extension. He was taken to the hospital for medical examination and will be produced in court on Thursday.
On Monday, the police had booked him under Section 304 A of the IPC (causing death due to negligence), which is a bailable offence.
Besides Section 304, the other sections added in the FIR include 337, 338 of IPC (causing hurt by endangering life of others) and Section 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire).
‘OWNER BUILT THREE ILLEGAL STOREYS’
Commissioner of police RN Dhoke said it was a clear case where the factory owner had committed a criminal act by making three illegal storeys in the building without requisite permissions, resulting in collapse of the structure.
ENDLESS WAIT FOR KIN
Meanwhile, rescue operations by the teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and fire brigade continued for the third day, with three firemen still trapped under the debris.
Flames can still be seen erupting from the site on Wednesday. Families of firemen Sukhdev, Manohar Lal and Manpreet Singh, whose bodies have still not been retrieved, were caught in a debilitating wait, with despair writ large on their faces.
They said they are tired of politicians’ visits to the spot as they are only deriving political mileage out of the tragedy.
“Why didn’t these politicians let the illegal factory mushroom? It is clear that the factory owner had political links and that’s why no action was taken against him,” screamed a relative of fireman Manpreet.
Tamanna, 21, daughter of leading fireman Manohar Lal, has been waiting along with her mother and younger brother at the site since Monday when the building collapsed.
They are spending their nights at the civil hospital and return to the site every morning, hoping that Lal will be found alive from the rubble.
Parents of fireman Sukhdev were also at the site while his wife, who is at their home in Amritsar, has still not been told of the tragedy. He has three minor daughters aged five years, three years and a month-old. Sukhdev was a driver until two years ago before he joined the fire brigade.
“He joined the department as there was family pressure on him to get a government job. But destiny had other plans,” said Inderpal, Sukhdev’s cousin.
Fireman Manpreet, 24, had also joined the fire department two years ago and was unmarried.
The factory owner had committed a criminal act by making three illegal storeys in the building. RN DHOKE, police commissioner