The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday sought compensation of `10 lakh each for the 11 people killed in a building collapse in east Delhi’s Mustafabad area. Delhi Mayor Mahesh Khichi and AAP spokesman Adil Ahmad Khan, addressing mediapersons, sought strict action against officials guilty of laxity in checking illegal construction in the building which caved in on Saturday.
Kumar criticised the government for not announcing any financial relief so far, despite senior ministers visiting the site. “This is a very tragic incident. May God give peace to the souls of the deceased and strength to their families. But prayers are not enough — the government must act,” Kumar said. “The Delhi government passes budgets worth crores for various events, but when it comes to helping the poor, there is no money,” he said.
The mayor also said that a letter has been sent to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner, urging a strict action against any official found guilty of negligence. “So far, no accountability has been fixed. We have demanded that a strong action be taken against those responsible for this tragedy,” he said. Kumar accused the “BJP-backed officials” in the MCD of delaying action and shifting the blame. “It’s time to stop playing the blame game and take responsibility. The civic body must act now to ensure justice for the victims,” he added.
Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav also demanded a high-level probe to fix responsibility and punish the guilty for the Mustafabad building collapse and a financial relief of `10 lakh each to the next of kin of the dead, and `2 lakh each to the injured. Yadav said that the BJP Government cannot escape blame as the area is represented by BJP MP and MLA, who are understand the root cause of the Mustafabad building collapse.
, but they perhaps tried to look the other way for some consideration when illegal constructions were taking place in violation of the building bylaws, which had been openly encouraged by the corrupt Kejriwal Government for the past 11 years.
Criticising the AAP, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said statements by Aam Aadmi Party leaders regarding building collapse incident on Saturday in Mustafabad are nothing but crocodile tears.
According to the building department regulations of the Delhi Municipal Corporation, only ground plus three-floor constructions are permitted in Delhi. However, in Muslim-majority areas across the city, the construction of fourth floors is common, and in nearly three-quarters of the buildings, fifth and sixth floors have also been added, Kapoor said.