Wallcollapse in CR Park leavesmandead;1held 3 HURT
A three-storeyed wall collapsed onto a site where labourers were at work
nNEW DELHI: One man died and at least three others were injured after a three-storeyed wall collapsed on to the site of construction of a residential building in south Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park on Sunday afternoon, where the four were working as labourers. The body of the man who died could only be pulled out of the debris after a five-hour struggle, rescuers said.
The police arrested the contractor of the construction site.
The man who died was 32-yearold Toormal Mandal, while the injured are Sudama (21), Sanjay (30), and Tappan Mandal (25).
Atul Garg, director, Delhi Fire Service (DFS), said the department got a call at 2.13pm reporting that a wall had collapsed and workers were trapped under the debris. Garg said they rushed staff in, along with five fire tenders, to start the rescue operation. The police, civil defence and Delhi Disaster Management Authority were also roped in.
“We learnt at the site that around eight or 10 labourers were working at a construction site in CR Park’s Block E, when the adjoining building’s three-storeyed wall collapsed. By the time we reached, some labourers had managed to escape unhurt, while some had minor injuries. However, two of them were still stuck under the debris at that point,” Garg said.
He said, the rescue teams started the operation and one of the two men, was pulled out around 3.30pm. “He was injured and taken to the AIIMS Trauma
Centre. It took us more than five hours to rescue the second man. The debris was heavy, and it took at least 35 firefighters along with more than 20 other personnel from different rescue teams to pull the labourer out. He was unconscious and rushed to the hospital,” he said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also used dogs to ascertain if there were any other victims under the debris.
Deputy commissioner of police (south) Atul Kumar Thakur said they found that workers were digging to build a basement, when a common wall between two plots collapsed.
“All four who were injured were rescued and taken to hospital, where Toormal Mandal succumbed to his injuries while the other three are admitted for treatment. As per our investigation, Nidhish Gupta is the contractor who was carrying out the construction of the basement. He was booked for causing death due to negligence and was arrested,” Thakur said.
Gupta however said a building in the adjoining plot was being demolished carelessly, which led to the collapse of the wall.
Thakur said the police are looking into the role of the other contractor.
A senior official from the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), who did not wish to be named, said,“the person who was constructing his house has permission, and the map of the site is approved. The civic body has no role to play in the demolition of any private building,” the officer said.