Wall tweaks on ground floor led to Delhi building collapse?

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police is investigating if alterations being carried out at a meat shop on the ground floor may have triggered the collapse of a four-storey building in Mustafabad area , which resulted in 11 deaths on Saturday.

According to the FIR, just hours before the incident, construction work was underway at the shop. "The owner (Tehsin) and others removed the wall between two shops on the ground floor, bypassing the building norms and committing negligence," it said. A police source said, "We are also probing if seepage led to the weakening of the foundation."

The source said the building was constructed in a phased manner - the initial structure consisted of ground and first levels, and two more floors were added later. Police will question the builder and obtain the building's original layout. They will also seek documents from MCD related to the building's approval and compliance.


Police said MCD will conduct a thorough inspection of the building on Monday to assess the structural integrity and identify potential causes of the collapse. Police will focus their inquiry on the ground-floor shops, and question their owners or anyone who had taken them on rent. Cops are also likely to seek the help of experts to reconstruct the scene of the collapse by using 3D laser scanning technology.

Meanwhile, the postmortems of the 11 victims were conducted on Sunday. Family members of the deceased were overcome with grief as the bodies were brought out in ambulances.

Victims’ kin search for belongings

At the spot, several relatives searched for the belongings of their loved ones that might be buried under the rubble. Shehzad Ahmad, who lost his nephews Danish and Naved in the incident, said they had sold their land in Bijnor to fund two weddings in the family. “They saved some cash and jewellery, which is now trapped under the debris,” he said. The family was homeless now, he said, adding, “Everything is lost.”

Neha, the sister of Danish and Naved, suffered injuries, but managed to save her parents from the debris. However, the family is now left shattered. Alim Ali, the relative of Reshma, another victim, said her two daughters, son and husband were injured in the incident. “All their savings are gone. The family has become homeless; they have nothing left,” Ali said.