Old Delhi building collapse: 2 dead, 1 injured, AAP slams CM Rekha Gupta
The building collapsed near Chawri Bazar Metro station around 9.50 am on Thursday. Six fire tenders and rescue vehicles were rushed to the spot
Two people reportedly died, and one was injured after a three-storey building in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar area collapsed on Thursday (November 5). Several people are feared to be trapped under the rubble.
The incident took place at 9.50 am near the Chawri Bazaar Metro station, PTI reported. Six units, including water tenders and rescue vehicles, have rushed to the spot. Senior officials are overseeing the rescue operations, reported TOI.
Following the incident, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj slammed Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
“Another 3-storey building collapses at Chawri Bazaar/Chandni Chowk. Many feared trapped under debris. Rekha Gupta's government and MCD conducted multiple safety audits of all buildings in Delhi, yet buildings keep collapsing. Why?” said Bharadwaj in a post on X.
“Earlier only @DelhiPolice and @MCD_Delhi took bribes; after Rekha Gupta's government, the Fire Department and SDMs (Revenue Department under her) also started collecting bribes from buildings. Those who refuse to pay bribes get sealed by MCD. This explains the pick-and-choose enforcement, shocking that two gyms in GK2 market were sealed in a ward while other gyms and commercial buildings stay open in same south zone,” he added.
He further alleged that safety audits have been ordered repeatedly, but instead of real action, “multiple departments collected bribes many times”, adding this was the reason behind frequent building collapses in Delhi every month.
The latest incident comes days after two slabs of a building collapsed in the Milan Garden area of northeast Delhi, killing two men. The incident took place while workers were constructing an additional floor above an old house.
During the work, part of the existing roof reportedly gave way. The slab above it then collapsed, trapping two people under the debris.
The victims were identified as Chanderpal, 60, and Vijay Kumar, 33. Both men were rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital, where they were declared dead.
The latest incident follows the collapse of a building operating as a boys' paying guest accommodation in South Delhi's Satya Niketan area on September 6. After that incident, the MCD conducted safety audits.