Two-storey building collapses in Delhi’s Azadpur market; 1 dead

The police said that Sharma, who was found under the debris, was taken to Hindu Rao Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. A truck parked near the building was also damaged in the incident, said an officer.

While the cause of the collapse is yet to be identified, an FIR was registered under sections 106 (1) (death by negligence) and 290 (negligent construction of buildings) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The building falls within the influence zone of the ongoing tunnelling works being carried out by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the Janakpuri West-RK Ashram Marg corridor of the Delhi Metro.

In a statement, the DMRC said an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh has been announced for the next of kin of the deceased.

It added that letters requesting evacuation of the buildings in the area had been issued to local residents on June 12. “This area falls within the influence zone of the ongoing tunnelling works being carried out for the Janakpuri West-RK Ashram Marg corridor of Delhi Metro. The buildings here had been identified as unsafe prior to the commencement of tunneling work in the area…,” it said in a statement.

“It was clearly communicated that these structures were in an extremely dilapidated condition and, therefore, as a precautionary measure, the evacuation of the structures was necessary. Accordingly, the buildings were subsequently evacuated,” it added.

The DMRC pointed out that necessary sub-soil grouting work and external supports were provided at the site to stabilise the structures and mitigate any risk due to the tunnelling.

Maintaining that a thorough investigation would be conducted, Anuj Dayal, Principal Executive Director (DMRC), said, “A range of safety measures are undertaken to ensure safety (in such locations)… including instrumentation and monitoring of properties in the vicinity of the operation of a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) and shifting of occupants of vulnerable properties in the influence zone…”

According to local residents and shopkeepers, the DMRC had told them to evacuate the area and close their shops for a few days, promising compensation for the same.

“Support beams were installed in the buildings for risk management. After a few days, we were informed that we could open the shops,” said a local, adding that no notice about the building being unsafe was issued to them by the DMRC.

Police said they are trying to track down relatives of the deceased.

(Saanvi Sharma, Shirin Bhatnagar and Ashmita Sah are interns with The Indian Express)