Three persons died and six others were injured when an old overhead water tank collapsed near a caterer’s tent in Ahmedabad’s Bopal area on Monday morning. The incident occurred at 11.10 am when the 30-foot overhead water tank collapsed near a tent erected by a caterer at Plot number 570, on the civic land opposite Tejas School ground and Sanskriti flats in Bopal. The tank crashed from its base and its debris fell on the nearby canteen where a few labourers were present. Nine people got buried under the debris, among whom three succumbed to their injuries while six others, rescued with the help of the fire brigade, have been admitted at Sola Civil Hospital. Among the injured, the condition of one is said to be critical. Officials said the water tank was 20-25 years old, constructed by the Bopal Municipality in the 1990s. “One Suraj Thakore had been running ‘Bhandari Caterers’ business in a tent erected near the water tank, where a group of caterers used to cook as well as live,” a police official of Bopal Police Station said. “Around 11.10 am, the water tank collapsed on the tent.” The deceased have been identified as Ramdhari Lal Kushwah (40), a native of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Ravi Rajvir Diwakar (28), a native of Etawah in Uttar Pradesh and Vikram Bhumi (21), a native of Krishnanagar in West Bengal. Police said all three victims were working for Bhandari caterers, and that a total of nine people were inside the tent when the accident occurred. “As soon as information was received, multiple fire tenders rushed to the spot,” Ahmed-abad’s Additional Chief Fire Officer Rajesh Bhatt said. “We rescued five persons trapped in the rubble while the sixth was rescued by the public. They were then sent to Civil Hospital in Sola.” Ahmedabad District Collector Vikrant Pandey who visited the spot of the accident formed a committee and constituted an inquiry into the mishap. He said that the water tank was not filled with water at the time of the accident. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who is on an official visit to Russia, expressed grief over the accident and ordered an inquiry. Residents complained that the overhead water tank had been very old and that they had informed the authorities several times that it posed a hazard and had to be removed at the earliest. Admitting it, Collector Pandey told The Indian Express, “It is true that the water tank was very old and local residents had requested us to bring it down. A survey of the area was conducted by the Bopal Nagar Palika some 15 days back, after which two overhead water tanks were removed but this wasn’t.” He said the inquiry committee would find out why this particular tank was not removed, and indicated that it would also look into any possible negligence on the part of officials in leading to the accident. “Strict action will be taken against all those responsible,” he added.
