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MCD fiddles while builders break bylaws
Relatives throng hospitals for missing kin
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A chronology
Probe ordered
More disasters in waiting
Crippled life ahead for many
Task force to conduct survey of unsafe buildings
Sonia, Sheila meet victims
Building owner has criminal history
Cong, BJP trade charges
Residents do their bit in rescue work
DU teachers return to finish syllabus on time
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MCD fiddles while builders break bylaws
New Delhi, November 16 According to MCD leaders, the collapsed building in Lalita Park did not only violate the bylaws but was completely illegal as the structure was raised without any approval of the building plan. Not only this, there are many other buildings that are illegally constructed in the colony which was regularised in 1977. The sources in MCD said that the building department of the civic body had objected to the construction of the fifth floor by the owner but did not follow up the case or take any action afterwards. The problem of illegal construction in unauthorized colonies is rampant in the city and the corporation has failed to keep a tab on it. The residents of unauthorized colonies generally built floors and basement, in violation with the building bylaws. "The building department of MCD is most corrupt. The officers in the branch keep complete knowledge of the illegal constructions taking place in the Capital, but turn a blind eye after taking bribe," said Jagdish Mamgain, chairman, Works Committee, MCD. The building department of MCD gives requisite approvals for the various constructions in the city. The department has reported of corruption cases several times in the past. Meanwhile, the BJP-ruling MCD in an attempt to wash its hand of the incident said that the building had been constructed some 15 years ago and the party was not in power during that period. "The whole area was unauthorised. There cannot be such a tall building there. When the colony was regularised we were not in power. Who was responsible for allowing it should be seen by the Delhi government," said Subhash Arya, Leader of House in MCD. There are 567 unauthorised regularised colonies in Delhi. The process of their regularisation started in 1962-63, when 103 such colonies were regularised. About 567 colonies were further regularised in 1977. The earlier 103 colonies became part of these colonies as they had meanwhile extended and had to be included in the final regularisation in 1977. Among these are Laxmi Group of Colonies, Shakarpur Group of Colonies, Pandav Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Seelampur, Jaffarabad in East Delhi. Lalita Park is also an unauthorised regularised colony. Presently, there are 1,639 unauthorised colonies in Delhi awaiting regularisation. Unified Building Bylaws 1983 and the provisions of the Master Plan-2021 are not applicable in unauthorised colonies. But they are applicable in unauthorised regularised colonies. The regularised unauthorised colonies are entitled to all the civic facilities, including roads, sewerage, water, electricity whereas only essential civic services can be provided in unauthorised colonies by the civic body. |
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Relatives throng hospitals for missing kin
New Delhi, November 16 Yesterday evening, Deepali who works as a maid in the area left for work as usual, but little did she know that it was the last time she was seeing her family. The last night's jolt has spelt doom for her younger son, Manoj (16), besides, injuring 10 others of her family, some of them untraceable. "As usual, my sister left for work at 6 pm. But destiny has ruined us by taking our child. Ten persons of our family have been injured. Among them, her grandson and granddaughter are admitted to the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital (GTB) and daughter to the Lady Irwin Hospital. But her elder son and daughter-in-law are still trapped in the debris," said Deepali's sister Ila Haldar, who was ignorant about her children. Among scores of grieving kin, Shibu and his grandfather Mahadev Haldar, however looked composed while responding to mediapersons' questions and completing the legal formalities for securing the bodies of their dear ones at the Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Hospital. Shibu lost his parents (Bistu and Chanchal), his three-year-old sister Kalpana, his grandmother and uncle. Till late in the afternoon, while Shibu's family had identified three bodies, two remained buried in the rubble. A calm Shibu, sitting beside his grandfather, said, "Minutes before the building collapsed, two of my younger siblings and I went to play in the park. We heard a thud and rushed towards the building. I saw all dust and boulders all over." While their aunt sent the three siblings to their grandfather's house in the vicinity (house no. 129, gali no. 9), the bodies of their parents were unearthed around 6 am today. There were many cases of survival like -- Khudiram (28). Despite being buried neck-deep in the debris, he was conscious and called up his brother Biswajeet. "I was returning home from work when I received a call from my brother saying, 'I am trapped. Come and lift me'. I along with two of my friends rushed towards home. It took two hours for taking my brother out of the debris. I saved my brother, but lost my mother. My father and sister-in-law are admitted to the LBS Hospital with head injuries, while my brother and nephew are in the Lady Irwin Hospital," said Biswajeet, whose family migrated to Delhi from Malda in West Bengal, 15 years ago. Even as families of many people who were in the building remained clueless about the fate of their dear ones till late afternoon today, a three-year-old child Teena was united with her grandmother who is recuperating in the GTB Hospital. "The child, who has suffered a fracture was taken to the LBS Hospital. Her mother is untraceable. With the media's help, she was transferred to the GTB today where her grandmother is admitted. One year ago, the child had lost her father," said Dr R.N. Das, assistant casualty medical officer of the LBS Hospital. At the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital, among several hit by the tragic blow was the family of Dilip Haldar, whose sister's both legs had to be amputated and his niece is left with one leg. Grief, gloom and tales of bereavement were seen in other hospitals too, including the LNJP Hospital, where as many as 39 people were brought dead with many of them still to be identified. |
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Victims mainly from Bihar,
UP; toll reaches 66
New Delhi, November 16 While the families from Bengal that hailed mainly from two districts, Malda and Murshidabad, are believed to be have lost more than one member, those victims from other areas, like Kathihar district of Bihar, were said to be residing alone and their bodies are still to be handed over to their families. At the site, while the rescue operation continued, the hospital authorities reported a total of 66 fatalities and 85 injured, who were taken to five city hospitals initially, with the maximum rushed to Lal Bahadur Bal Chikitisyalaya, (LBS) and Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital (LNJP). The numbers could increase as locals, residing near Lalita Park and officials believe that the building housed over 250 people at the time of the accident. One of the treating doctors of LBS, general surgeon Dr Vijay Thakur said, "Most of the patients came to us with fracture of thigh and abdomen. Those with head injuries have been referred to GTB and we have already transferred eight and would be sending the ninth injured (Anita, who is disoriented and requires a CT scan) soon." Thirty-three-year-old Anita Haldar's three other members, including her husband Khudiram, are recuperating in other hospitals, GTB and LNJP, he added. At LNJP, which has reported the maximum number of casualties-41-one patient named Tintu Yadav (25 years) is still critical in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). "Since last night, 41 patients were brought dead and one died after arrival. In the hospital there are 28 injured and among them one with multiple injuries is critical in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 27 are stable," the medical superintendent Dr Amit Banerjee said. |
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A chronology
New Delhi, November 16 Sept 21, 2010: More than 19 people were injured in a bridge collapse on the CWG site near the Nehru stadium. July 14, 2010: Six members of a family were killed when a two-storey building collapsed near Usmanpur. April 26, 2010: Three persons were killed when a newly-constructed building collapsed in Rohini. Sept 1, 2009: An under-construction three-storey building collapsed in east Delhi's Ramnagar area, injuring 19 persons. July 12, 2009: Seven people were killed and 15 injured when a bridge being built for the Metro collapsed. June 14, 2009: Five persons were killed and 9 injured in a cylinder blast inside a welding shop that led to the fall of a building in Nangloi . Dec 20, 2008: A four-storeyed under-construction building collapsed in Krishna Nagar, injuring several people. Oct 19, 2008: Two people lost their lives while 11 were injured when a partially built bridge collapsed. May 18, 2008: At least 17 construction workers were killed and nearly 30 others injured when a wall collapsed at a building site in the suburbs of the Capital. March 29, 2008: Seven people lost their lives when a four-storey under-construction building collapsed in New Usmanpur. Most of the casualties were the labourers. |
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Probe ordered
New Delhi, November 16 Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has asked the deputy commissioner (revenue), east Delhi, to submit the inquiry report within 10 days. The government will take strict action against those found guilty, Dikshit said. The Chief Minister has announced Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for any child who lost any family member and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Dikshit said the investigation would focus on many aspects like the construction norms, permission granted by the agency, security lapses and the role of the owner of the building. Further, the chief engineer, irrigation and flood department, has been directed to look into the accumulation of water in front of Lalita Park. Also, Dikshit has directed the divisional commissioner to evacuate all the buildings around the ill-fated one to check their quality of construction and safety measures. Dikshit visited a rescue camp housing the families of the deceased and injured. She assured them of all help. Dikshit said that government would call upon various agencies for finding ways to avoid such mishaps in future. In line with the plan, Delhi urban development minister A.K. Walia today chaired a high-level meeting to discuss measures to check re-occurrence of such mishaps. |
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More disasters in waiting
New Delhi, November 16 The areas of north and north-east Delhi are marshy and construction of basement is not allowed here. But, in Laxmi
Nagar, most buildings have basement. The building that collapsed last evening also had basement, and due to excess rain and flood this year, the level of ground water had risen, causing seepage in the basement that weakened the foundation of the building, a senior official of the land and building department of the Delhi government said. He said the government should take action against those who have illegally constructed basements in their buildings. A senior engineer of the public works department on the condition of anonymity said the authority concerned should check the structural engineering of the building before giving the completion certificates. "As far as the basement of a building is concerned, it requires raft foundation and water proofing. Experts should check whether the building that collapsed had raft foundation or not. In case it does not have a raft foundation, action should be taken against the building owner, contractor and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi that issued the completion certificate to the owner." Chief of the Delhi Fire Service
R.C. Sharma said in 2003, there were 2,500 high-rise buildings on the government's list, and the building that collapsed yesterday was not part of that list. Till a few years back, Lalita Park was an unauthorised colony. It was made a legal colony some years ago. When the colony was
legalised, the ill-fated building was small. Later, the owner illegally added several floors to it. At present, buildings in residential areas can have only two and a half floors. The building that collapsed yesterday had five floors, including a basement. Its building plan was also not approved, said a senior officer of the
MCD. Meanwhile, locals say that the area is very congested and have many such dangerous buildings. "The area is congested and there is no place to park vehicles. Basements have been constructed for parking vehicles," Mehrun
Nisa, a local resident. Sunita, who lives adjacent to the unfortunate building in Lalita Park, said it was five-storied and had 80 rooms that accommodated hundreds of people, mostly
labourers. The building also housed ice-cream, handicraft and refreshment factories. The ice-cream factory was in the basement. |
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Crippled life ahead for many
New Delhi, November 16 Sonia (19), admitted to the disaster ward at the Hedgewar Hospital, has not stopped crying since last night, after she lost her 16-year-old sister in the tragedy. Next to her bed lies her brother Sonu who is undergoing treatment for injury in the eye. "The doctor has suggested an X-ray for my spine. My brother might lose sight. Sonu worked as a driver. But with his eye now injured, I am afraid if he will find work soon. I was cooking last night when the incident took place. We did not understand what had happened and within minutes we with many people were lying in a pile of debris," said Sonia lying in the hospital today. Her relatives said that her father expired this morning. However, they could not tell Sonia about it. Sonia's mother is admitted in the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital and is in critical condition. The incident has changed the lives of 25-year-old Nabina Khan and her two-year-old son drastically. They have sustained serious injuries. Nabina worked as a maid in Patparganj. Now, she will not be able to work for at least five months due to injury in the leg. Nabina's mother is still missing. Tuntun (20) from Bhatpura village in Bihar is also one of those who has been left crippled for life. Admitted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, doctors had to amputate one of her legs today. The doctors fear that with the infection spreading fast, her other leg will also have to be amputated. Many children have lost one or both their parents. Thereby, forcing relatives to take care of them. But poor families do not have any means left at all. Fifteen-year-old Sameer does not even live in the area but was seriously injured as he was playing there with his cousins yesterday. His cousins, both 12-year-old, are also injured and have lost both their parents in the incident. Sameer's mother Namita is taking care of both the children. "Me and my husband iron clothes to make a living. We already have six persons in the family. With these children now, things will be tougher. But we will try our best," said Namita. |
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Task force to conduct survey of unsafe buildings
New Delhi, November 16 MCD commissioner K.S. Mehra said the task force will be formed in all the 12 zones of the city. The municipal commissioner directed the chief vigilance officer of the MCD to conduct an in-depth inquiry into the incident. He has asked him to submit a comprehensive report within four days. The commissioner has also directed a separate survey around the 300 metres of the river belt within the limits of Delhi to find out if there are more such buildings which may be affected by seepage of flood water. This is in compliance with the directions of the Delhi government. "We have directed that if any building is found to be in a precarious condition, it would be immediately vacated. We will conduct a survey of all the buildings and take necessary action, including demolition. The MCD has already initiated the survey to identify houses which may prove dangerous due to seepage of river water," said
Mehra. As per the direction of the Lieutenant-Governor, the MCD in collaboration with Central Building Research Institute
(CBRI) will find out if retrofitting is required in certain buildings to make them structurally safe. The survey would be completed within three months. The commissioner held a meeting of senior officers where he ordered the zonal deputy commissioners to ensure a zero-tolerance approach towards unauthorized constructions. "We have asked the officers to launch prosecution against offenders not only under the DMC Act but also under Indian Penal Code," added
Mehra. |
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Sonia, Sheila meet victims
New Delhi, November 16 East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit, Delhi finance and urban development minister A.K. Walia, health minister Kiran Walia, chief secretary Rakesh Mehta, divisional commissioner D.M. Spolia, secretary (health) Rajendra Kumar and other senior officials accompanied the Chief Minister to Laxmi Nagar. The Chief Minister and Kiran Walia also visited the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital and spoke to those affected. They assured the families of the victims of all support. |
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Building owner has criminal history
New Delhi, November 16 While the SHO of the Shakarpur police station refused to speak over the issue, a police official on the condition of anonymity said apart from the case registered today, around 17 cases are registered against Singh at the Shakarpur police station alone. He is a declared 'bad character' . The official added that Singh is also an accused in a murder that took place in Ghaziabad. "After the incident, the SHO came to the police station and took out all the files of Singh," said a source at the Shakarpur police station. Singh, a builder, who resides in R-7/2, Ramesh Park, fled with his family soon after the incident.
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Cong, BJP trade charges
New Delhi, November 16 Congress MP from East Delhi Sandeep Dikshit accused the BJP-run Municipal Corporation of Delhi of being responsible for the tragedy as it allowed the building to come up. He then hinted at the collusion between MCD officials and the absconding builder Amrit Singh, saying not a brick was laid without the knowledge of civil engineers. The BJP leader in Delhi Legislative Assembly, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, blamed the government. "It was responsibility of the Delhi government to ensure that flood waters were drained out. It was the job of the Delhi Jal Board to check flooding of the area," he said. Expressing distress at the incident, Malhotra asked for a judicial probe. He said the owner of the property is closely linked to the ruling Congress and he has many other buildings in this area. Delhi BJP president Vijendra Gupta demanded that compensation should be increased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for the kin of the deceased. |
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Residents do their bit in rescue work
New Delhi, November 16 The police cordoned off the area about three hours after the incident. "I along with my friends and neighbours brought out at least eight persons. Some of them appeared dead while a couple of them were badly injured and crying. When we brought them out, they passed out," Vivekanand Jha, a local boy of 25 years, said. Many said the official agencies took long to respond and the relief and rescue works went on in full swing for several hours afterwards. The NDRF team arrived with their special equipment which cut through the heavy concrete structures in no time. Jha said, "Even after the arrival, they took some time to regroup and understand the design the building before starting their operation." Officials, though, said the presence of locals, many of whom were spectators, hindered the rescue work and this was the standard practice they followed in such cases. Another bit of commendable work was done by 40-odd civil defence personnel led by Joginder Singh Tiger and Usha Verma who worked almost through the night in aiding the team of experts. |
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DU teachers return to finish syllabus on time
New Delhi, November 16 However, there were hardly any productive classes in any college as teachers were busy understanding what topics are left in the course and how to plan the days ahead, in order to finish the syllabus on time before the exams. "Our chemistry teacher had left a month back. A new teacher has now come, but she is clueless about what topics have been covered and what is left, in both the theory and practicals. In physics, mechanics is pretty much covered but our practicals have all been cancelled. The practicals are not a part of this semester's syllabus. So we need to start from scratch in practicals. If the exams are not postponed, we will be in big trouble. We really do not have the time," said Nishtha Choudhary, Physics (H) Miranda House. Out of total 30 colleges running these 13 science courses where semester is being implemented, 11 were teaching in annual mode. Staff associations in many colleges will now meet to decide the further course of action. While many are planning to take extra classes, others are waiting for some decision by the varsity to postpone the dates of the exams. Many colleges, including Hindu College, Zakir Hussain College and Kirori Mal College, had department meetings today and discussed the course left and the further course of action. "We had a department meeting today. Many topics in Electronics have been struck out by the university's electronics head so the burden has lessened a bit. But a lot needs to be done to ensure smooth passage of exams. Our foremost worry right now is the practical exams," said Naveen Anand, teacher, Electronics, Zakir Hussian College. Students in these 11 colleges will have to suffer most if the exams are held on the current schedule from December 16 as they have not had any classes. Besides, they do not have any notes or previous year's referral material to rely on. "At least I am glad that classes started today, but there is still reluctance in teacher's behaviour. They tell us that they are teaching in semester, but they would appeal to the Supreme Court and that this is not over. They still are not willing to be inside classes, and that is visible from their body language. Both the teachers and students need time before exams are held," said Manik Tripathi, B.Sc. student at Kirori Mal College.
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