New Delhi: The bodies of a father and son were pulled out of the rubble at 7 am Monday, 14 hours after parts of an under-construction building collapsed in northeast Delhi’s Milan Garden. Chanderpal (60) and Vijay Kumar (33), both contractors, were overseeing work at the site when a newly constructed roof gave in, trapping them underneath.
A labourer, Gaurav, was working at an adjacent warehouse when at 5 pm a shutter attached to the structure flew open following the collapse and debris poured out.
That, apart from an alleged delay by authorities in initiating rescue operations using heavy machinery, might have resulted in the death of the two, the family said. “My manager shouted ‘Bhago, Bhago!’ and we sprinted in fear,” Gaurav said. Police said, “Two fire brigade vehicles, two ambulances and a crane were deployed at the spot along with civil defence volunteers and an NDRF team .
The bereaved family claimed that just after the incident, the owner of the building locked a narrow entry gate and fled, misinforming locals that no one was inside. A complaint was registered under relevant provisions of BNS against the owner and a contractor who appeared to have outsourced the work to Chanderpal and Vijay. Police arrested the owner Monday and are looking for the contractor. Rescue teams cleared the debris and conducted a search of the collapsed structure.”
JCBs were finally sent in at 2 am, nine hours after the roofs had crashed on Chanderpal and Vijay, claimed his family. They were allegedly pulled out of the debris only at 7 am, 14 hours after the collapse, and taken to GTB Hospital, where doctors declared them dead.