NEW DELHI: Rescue operations continued on Friday at the site of a three-storey building collapse in Old Delhi's crowded Chawri Bazar, a day after the incident killed two labourers and injured at least four others. Delhi Police have arrested three contractors from Faridabad in connection with the incident.
The deceased were identified as Kishori (40) and Sanjeet (45), both labourers. Sahdev Chaudhary (25) and Firoz (37), who were rescued from the debris, were stable and out of danger, police said. Around 10 to 15 labourers were present at the site when the building near Chawri Bazar Metro station collapsed at around 9.48 am on Thursday.
The arrested men were identified as Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan, all residents of the Ajmeri Gate area in Old Delhi. They were apprehended from Sirohi village in Faridabad. An FIR has been registered under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said the building was being constructed on a plot measuring around 50 square metres without the necessary approval.
An MCD official said construction had reached the third floor and work was underway on the roof slab when it collapsed. The official attributed the collapse to the use of non-engineered construction material and said the material had not properly set.
Delhi Police had flagged unauthorised construction at the property to the MCD in June, nearly five months before the collapse. In a letter dated June 15, the station house officer of Hauz Qazi police station informed the MCD's City SP Zone about the unauthorised construction and identified Furkan as the landowner and contractor. (with inputs from media organisations)