Four labourers buried alive as boundary wall collapses at Noida’s Jalvayu Vihar

Police said two contractors had been booked and one arrested.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Ashutosh Dwivedi said, “Two contractors, Gul Mohammed and Suresh Yadav, have been booked under IPC sections 304 (death by negligence) 337 (hurt by act endangering life) 338 (grievous hurt by act endangering life) as well as provisions of the Child Labour Act. While Gul Mohammed has been arrested, Suresh is on the run. Two of the deceased, Amit and Dharamveer, were minors.”

“The workers had alleged that they had told the contractors that the wall was inclined and might fall any time, but the accused asked them to work anyway,” he added.

After the wall collapsed, rescue operations by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and firefighters started immediately.

Local residents pitched in with the rescue efforts. Thirteen workers were at the site when the wall collapsed. While four died, nine were rescued. The workers said they were pulled out within 30 minutes.

Bulldozers were deployed to clear the debris as police tried to keep away the crowd of onlookers who had flocked to the scene. Senior officials arrived at the spot as well, including Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari, Chief Fire Officer AK Singh, and Police Commissioner Alok Singh.

Taking cognizance of the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered his condolences to the victims. “He directed senior officials to rush to the spot and conduct relief work on a war footing,” the Chief Minister’s Office tweeted in Hindi.

Addressing the media at the site, Maheshwari said “It is an old society with an old boundary wall. The drain outside the society was being repaired on their request. It was being done by the Noida Authority through tenders and a contractor. An inquiry will be conducted and anyone found guilty will be punished.”

Jogender was among the construction workers who were rescued, but his cousin wasn’t as lucky.

“We were working in the drain when the wall collapsed. We were breaking it down so that a new one could be constructed. My uncle’s son Pushpender did not survive.”

Another worker, Pappu, who was injured, said, “I fell unconscious when the wall fell on me. My leg was fractured and I was in a lot of pain. Thankfully, I was rescued soon after.”

Air Marshal (retd) Pradeep Kumar, chairman of the Jalvayu Vihar RWA, said, “The Noida Authority should inform us when construction work happens. The drain was constructed by them two years ago very close to the wall. I found out that the work had begun on Sunday. The wall must have collapsed when the bricks were removed from the drain as the lower portion of the boundary was exposed.”