Kolkata, Mar 18 (UNI) The death toll in the “illegal” under-construction five-storied building collapse at the thickly populated Garden Reach area in the city on Sunday night rose to 9 so far, even as the rescue operations were underway using floodlights, official sources said on Monday.
Among the dead, two– Shama Begum;( 44) and Hasina Khatun ( 55) were sisters, and two were cousins and masons by profession, who were sleeping on the 2nd floor of the under-construction multi-storied building when the building collapsed.
Sources said three of the injured were undergoing treatment at the SSKM hospital and nine others were admitted to a private nursing home near the site of the mishap.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the accident site and talked to the local people.
The Chief Minister also visited the private nursing home and assured financial and medical support to the affected people..
She also admitted that the construction was illegal and ordered stern action against the promoter, who had been arrested.
The local people alleged the construction was going on after covering a water body at a place, which is around 4 ft wide. State Urban Development Minister and city Mayor FirhadHakim, who is also the area MLA, admitted that the construction was illegal..
The building collapsed at around 11: 49 PM on Sunday night. on a serpentine 4-foot wide lane as the rubble and iron rods ell on the roofs of the adjacent houses triggering casualties of the poor people of the minority community at Molla Bagan ( Garden Reach). in the south Kolkata.
Rescue operations were underway and the rescuers suspected that more people might be trapped under the rubbles.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari demanded the arrest of local Councillor Sams Iqbal.
State Congress President Adhir Chandra Chowdhury demanded the resignation of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Firhad Hakim blaming him for the disaster.
CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim criticised the authorities for allegedly allowing promoters to build houses illegally.
