With more people still feared to be trapped under the debris, the death toll in ludhiana’s plastic factory’s building collapse has touched risen to 12.
Shocked at the tragic incident, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday ordered a detailed inquiry by Patiala Divisional Commissioner into the incident besides announcing compensation for the kin of those killed.
“The inquiry will encompass all aspects of the incident and would ascertain violations by the owner of the factory in storing chemicals and going against the law. Any violation of the construction laws would also be identified,” Capt Amarinder told the media after visiting the accident site, along with the local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar.
The five-storeyed building, located in a congested part of the industrial area near Cheema Chowk, had collapsed on Monday afternoon following a powerful blast triggered by a major fire in the building earlier.
Around 20-25 people, including officials of the Fire Department and Municipal Corporation, were feared trapped inside the building. While three bodies were recovered on Monday evening, more bodies were taken out in the night.
ludhiana Fire Officer DS Sandhu claimed that 15 bodies had been recovered from the debris of the collapsed factory building and two persons had been taken out alive and hospitalized.
The two injured men, identified as Rohit Kumar and Sunil Kumar, are undergoing treatment at CMC Hospital ludhiana. The rescue operation continued on Tuesday with the teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), Army, Punjab Police, the Fire Department and a local NGO engaged in the work.
Expressing grief, the Chief Minister directed the district authorities to speed up the rescue and relief efforts.
Consoling the families of the victims, he said that no stone would be left unturned to try and find those still believed to be buried under the debris.
The families of four firemen and one sanitary inspector killed in the tragedy will be given Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia, with the state government and the Municipal Corporation contributing 50 per cent each, along with one job per family on compassionate grounds, a government spokesperson said.
The five civilians who lost their lives in the incident will be provided Rs two lakh each as ex-gratia, the spokesperson added.
The factory owner, Inderjit Singh Gola, has been booked for negligence. He is said to be on the run.
The Chief Minister made it clear that strict action would be initiated against any officer found guilty of dereliction of duty or lapse of any kind, leading to the accident.
Officials said that the chemicals and plastic material stored in Amarson Polymers stoked the fire. At least 15 fire tenders were rushed to the spot which finally brought the fire under control after nearly six hours on Monday.
People living nearby were asked to vacate the area as a precautionary measure. Officials said that a few other buildings and houses in the vicinity of the collapsed building were also damaged.
Capt Amarinder said that his government was cognizant of the pathetic state of the fire services in the state and had already taken several steps to strengthen the same including setting up of a separate Directorate of Fire Services.
“The new Fire Safety Act was under formulation and would be ready by December,” he said adding that these will check on unauthorized buildings and those lacking in fire safety norms.