Bengaluru building collapse survivor: We don’t have money to transport friends’ bodies to Bihar
Eight people died, six were injured and seven rescued after a six-storey building collapsed near Hennur in Bengaluru on Tuesday afternoon.
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Around 4 pm, the building collapsed, and rescue operations continued even after 24 hours. Five people died, six were injured and seven were rescued. (Express Photo)“We don’t even have money to take back the bodies to our hometown. We may have to cremate them without their family members’ presence,” lamented Mohamed Mahfooz, a labourer whose friends died when a building collapsed near Hennur in Bengaluru on Tuesday afternoon.
Mahfooz was one of 21 workers at the six-storey building. He and his group had started working in August to install tiles in 13 flats of the building, which was constructed on a 60×40 ft plot. By that time, the construction was complete, and none had any knowledge of the building plan approval or substandard construction.
Around 4 pm, the building collapsed, and rescue operations continued even after 24 hours. Eight people died, six were injured and seven were rescued.
Mahfooz, 27, a native of Bihar who has been working in Bengaluru for the last three years, explained to indianexpress.com how he managed to survive while his friends were killed. “I, along with two others, was installing tiles on the first floor of the building while some were on the third floor and others on the ground floor. The moment the building started to tilt, I went to the balcony to check and jumped. Two others also jumped with me. We survived without a scratch,” he said.
Mohamed Arman, 26, and Mohamed Sahil, 19, were among the deceased. On Wednesday, Mahfooz rushed to hospitals to collect the bodies. “We are daily-wage labourers. We get paid Rs 700 per day for installing tiles. Although I have informed the families of my friends who passed away, they are not in a position to come to Bengaluru. I don’t have the money to transport the bodies to Bihar. I request the government to at least help me return the bodies to their hometown,” he added.
Asked whether the mud around the building was being excavated, Mahfooz said the workers were following the builder’s instructions. “Yes, the mud was being taken out for boundary purposes, but it was done at the behest of the builder,” he said. Soon after, there was heavy rainfall and it is suspected that the foundation was compromised, leading to the loosening of the soil.
Bhuvan Reddy, son of Munirajareddy, under whose name the building was being constructed, was arrested on Wednesday. “The contractor, Muniyappa, who built four floors, has also been taken into custody,” said D Devaraj, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East).
The Hennur police have registered a case under sections 100 (culpable homicide), 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 125 (a) (causing hurt), 125 (b) (causing grievous hurt), 270 (public nuisance), and 3(5) (criminal act done by several people) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS); sections 326 (violation of the Act), 327 (violation of rules), and 328 (violation of regulations) of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Act; and section 3 (failing to register a real estate project) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act.
Authorities said the construction work was of poor quality and that the owner did not have permission to build six floors. The civic agency had granted approval only for four floors, but the owner proceeded to construct two more.
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