Mohali building collapse: Among 2 dead, 28-yr-old who rushed inside to fetch phone

A resident of Ambala, Inderpal rushed to Sohana late last night after coming to know that Abhishek was missing following the building collapse. After waiting at the site overnight, praying for a miracle, he was told around 10 am that a body had been found. He identified it as Abhishek’s.

Inderpal, father of Abhishek , 28, whose body was recovered on Sunday (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)

Inderpal told The Indian Express that Abhishek was between switching jobs and his daughter-in-law also worked with an IT firm in Mohali. He was a regular at the gym.

The other victim was identified as Drishti Verma, a 20-year-old from Theog in Shimla district, who lived in a paying guest (PG) accommodation in the building. She was set to get married in March. On Sunday, her body was handed over to her family after an autopsy.

According to a police officer, another PG resident, Sakshi, had a narrow escape as she left for her home in Himachal Pradesh before the building collapsed. “We spoke to Sakshi, she was not in the building at the time,” the officer said.

One more body was recovered from the debris on Sunday. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)

The 24-hour-long rescue operation, led by the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and local police, concluded Sunday evening.

Although prima facie digging in an adjacent plot for an under-construction building appears to have caused the collapse, a judicial inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

Mohali Sub-Divisional Magistrate Damandeep Kaur has been tasked with the probe and directed to submit her report within three weeks.

The building collapse has brought attention to the proliferation of illegal constructions in Sohana. Municipal Commissioner T Benith said the building owner was illegally digging a basement in the adjacent plot, which likely caused the collapse.

Mohali SSP Deepak Pareek told reporters that the building owner also owned the adjacent plot of land where digging work to construct a basement was on. “However, no permission was taken and no concerned agency was informed about the unauthorised digging,” Pareek was quoted as saying by PTI.

The area surrounding the site is dotted with high-rise buildings, many of which operate as PG accommodations for professionals working in Mohali and Chandigarh, offering lower rents.

Residents blamed the Municipal Corporation and Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) for failing to regulate the construction of unsafe buildings. Former village sarpanch Parwinder Singh Sohana demanded an investigation into officials who permitted these constructions and called for strict action.

The rescue operation was wrapped up after the NDRF confirmed that no more bodies were buried under the rubble.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Viraj S Tidke stated that around 600 personnel took part in the operation.

“We deeply regret the loss of two lives: Drishti (20) from Himachal Pradesh and Abhishek Dhanwal (30) from Ambala,” Tidke said. “The NDRF thoroughly checked the debris before concluding the operation.”