Woman, her 2 children killed in Maur roof collapse
BATHINDA :A 43-year-old woman, her son and daughter were killed as the roof of their house collapsed due to rain in Gandhi Basti locality of Maur town in Bathinda district on Friday morning.
The deceased were identified as Sunita Devi, her son Rakesh Kumar (20) and daughter Paramjit Kaur (18). They worked as labourers.
The incident took place around 3am when the family members were sleeping in their one-room accommodation on the first floor of the building.
The family members of Sunita’s brother-in-law Janak Raj, who were sleeping on the ground floor of the house, escaped unhurt as their roof did not collapse. They woke up due to a loud thud caused by the cave-in.
The three, who were buried under the debris, died on the spot. Their bodies were pulled out of debris by the locals.
Sunita’s husband has passed away while her other son lives in a rented accommodation in the same town.
Janak Raj said the building developed cracks due to the roof cave-in and it is highly unsafe for them to live in it.
Maur naib tehsildar Vipin Kumar, who visited the spot, said they have sent a report for providing compensation to the affected family for loss of life and house damage. He said alternate arrangements are being made for the family living on the ground floor as the house is unsafe to live in.
Maur station house officer (SHO) Ajay Gandhi said police have started inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in the matter.
Jagdev Singh Kamalu, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Maur, said the mishap is the result of the wrong policies of successive governments in Punjab and at the Centre. “The incident has exposed the governments’ claims to provide houses for the poor. The house in question poses a risk to the life of the family living on the ground floor. The administration should make alternate arrangements for them to avoid any untoward incident,” the MLA added.