Even as the Bengaluru building collapse that claimed several lives left migrant workers devastated, rescue operation is still underway.
Published Oct 23, 2024 | 10:40 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 24, 2024 | 10:46 AM
The building that collapsed in Bengaluru's Hennur
A sense of despair engulfed migrant workers and their families in Bengaluru after the catastrophic collapse of an under-construction multi-storey building in Babusapalya near Hennur claimed several lives.
The tragic incident on Tuesday, 22 October claimed at least eight lives and left six others injured. Andhra Pradesh-based builder Muniraju Reddy and his son Bhuvan Reddy, who were in charge of constructing the building, have been arrested.
They illegally exceeded the authorised limit of four floors by adding two more floors. That and substandard work are believed to be the reasons behind the Bengaluru building’s collapse.
When the disaster struck, over 20 labourers were on-site, engaged in various tasks such as plumbing and plastering. Shocked and grieving, labourers from Karnataka, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh were left grappling with the loss of eight of their colleagues and family in the tragedy.
Even labourers working in nearby buildings rushed to the site to find their loved ones trapped under the debris.
While the probe into the alleged criminal negligence that led to the disaster have begun, rescue operations were still underway till 9 pm, 23 October when this article was being written.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Fire and Emergency Services are continuing with the rescue operation to either rescue labourers still trapped inside, or recover their bodies.
The deceased labourers have been identified as Mohamed Sahil (19), Mohammed Harman (19), Arman (26), Sathya Raju (25), Tripal (35). Age of three more labourers who died – Shankar, S Paswan, and Sahail – are yet to be disclosed.
The injured migrant labourers have been identified as Ramesh Kumar (28), Nagaraju (25), Jayadevi (45), Ramesh Kumar (28), Mohammed Rasheed (28), Mohammed D Harman (22) and Wakeel Paswan. Of them, Ramesh and Harman suffered severe injuries. All the injured people are being treated at hospitals.
BBMP Mahadevapura Zonal Commissioner KN Ramesh told South First: “We are yet to ascertain the reasons behind the collapse of the under-construction building. Prima facie, substandard work carried out by the builder and developing additional floors illegally seem to be the reasons.”
“After the rescue operation comes to an end, we will look into the tragedy to ascertain the cause. BBMP will take action as per the law,” added the Commissioner.
BBMP Mahadevapura Zonal Commissioner KN Ramesh assured action against the builder and contractor. (South First)
Talking about the disaster with reporters on the night of 22 October, KR Pura MLA and BJP leader Byrathi Basavaraj shared the Commissioner’s view.
Citing sub-standard work and additional floors being built illegally as the reasons behind the collapse, he asserted that, “It was not caused because of the rains.”
Meanwhile, one of the victims’ cousin – Mohammed Arshad – filed a complaint over the incident, based on which an FIR has been registered.
He alleged, “Building owner, engineer, contractor and mestri were not using quality materials for the construction, as they wanted to save money. Despite being aware that it is a residential area, there was negligence from builders and others.”
Demanding action against the builders and others responsible, he continued, “No safety measures were followed in the building’s construction. They did not get necessary permission from authorities. Negligence was the main cause for the building collapse.”
Reeling under shock and disbelief, Bihar’s Wakeel Paswan narrated the ordeal that the survivors went through when they were trapped inside.
Wakeel Paswan recounting the tragic incident with the South First.
Having spent the last three months plastering walls at the site, Paswan, who is a resident of Begusarai in Bihar, never imagined he would witness such a disaster.
Though he managed to escape with three others, his uncle, S Paswan, remained trapped beneath the rubble. The scene of chaos and loss has left Paswan devastated, as he grappled with the reality of surviving a tragedy that had taken the lives of those around him.
Paswan told South First: “I am working in this site for the last three months. I have not registered with any labour department. I used to work under mestri (supervisor of workers) but he too died in the incident.”
“Around 3.30pm the building collapsed. When the building was about to collapse, I was doing plastering in one of the rooms. When it started raining, I rushed to the bedroom, where the mestri was and he asked me to do some chores. But I got out of the building when it started shaking,” he recalled adding that his uncle was trapped inside.
How many people were inside the building when it collapsed? Paswan doesn’t know. “I don’t know exactly how many people were inside. There were lot of labourers working on various things.”
Roshan Kumar, is another survivor from Bihar and has been working as a labourer in Bengaluru for three years.
Roshan Kumar is working as labourer in the construction site for the last three years in Bengaluru. (South First)
He shared with South First, “I was working in the building but had stepped out to buy some materials. Now, I have lost my brother Ram Kripal in the tragedy. He is married and has three children. His mortal remains have been recovered from the building. I request the government to ensure that the mortal remains reach victims’ respective homes.”
Roshan also pointed out that none of them have registered with the local labour department.
Following the tragic incident, BBMP Mahadevapura Zonal Commissioner KN Ramesh claimed that the body had issued a notice to the builder after learning that he did not have a license for the building’s construction.
BBMP Mahadevapura Zonal Commissioner KN Ramesh told South First: “The building was under construction without any plan and license from the corporation. Our engineers found that something was not okay in the building and had issued notices to the owner.”
He added that demolition after the notice is issued takes time. “The tragedy happened amid this. There were over 20 people inside the building when it collapsed. We rescued 15 people alive and about six of them sustained injuries. Six people have died so far.”
On the rescue operations that began on 22 October, he told South First, “As soon as it came to our notice, we alerted Fire and Emergency Services, NDRF and SDRF personnel. All the authorities rushed to the spot. We also placed ambulances on standby. Even doctors were on-duty throughout the night at the spot.”
He added that the rescue operation is a little slow because authorities are careful about not jeopardising the lives of those who might still be trapped alive inside the building.
“Our first aim is to rescue people alive. Hence, we do not want to demolish the structure. Around 2 to 3 more people are suspected to be trapped inside the building. We will definitely take action against the builders, law has been violated,” he asserted.
“The violation of norms in building construction will be dealt with corporation laws and criminal proceedings will be taken care by the police. All the deceased have been identified. There are labourers from Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka’s Yadgir district as well. As far as we know, no one from Karnataka died.”
Warning engineers and builders against playing with people’s lives, he cautioned, “It is an alarm for everyone and not just for the BBMP. Public should be careful about buying such illegal properties. We can’t be present everywhere. If people complain about illegal constructions, we will take action.”
Within 18 hours of the building’s collapse, Hennur Police arrested the builder, his son and the contractor. An FIR has been registered against building owner Muniraju Reddy, his son Bhuvan Reddy, Elumalai and others connected to it.
The accused have been booked under sections 100 – culpable homicide, 105 – culpable homicide not amounting to murder, 125 – endangering life and personal safety of others, 270 – public nuisance, 3(5) – people working together to commit a crime under the BNS.
Sections 326 (violation of act), 327 – (violation of rules) and 328 – (violation of regulations of BBMP) have also been invoked against the accused. They have also been booked under the Real Estate Regulatory Authority Act.
Bengaluru’s DCP (East) D Devaraj confirmed to South First about the arrest of three persons. “We have arrested three people connected to the under-construction building collapse. The building owner and son were initially taken into custody and have now been arrested. The contractor, Muniyappa has also been arrested and investigation is underway.”
(Edited by Neena)
