The death toll in the tragic collapse incident of an underconstruction warehouse in Kolkata’s Taratala area on Thursday climbed to 11, while 19 others have sustained injuries. As rescue teams continued efforts at the site, Kolkata Police arrested five people in connection with the incident and launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to the disaster.
FIR registered against several people related to the project: Police
Addressing the media on Thursday, Kolkata Additional Commissioner of Police (crime) Kunal Agrawal said that a suo motu FIR had been registered against several persons allegedly linked to the construction project.
Four of the accused were named in the FIR, while a fifth individual was arrested during the course of the investigation. According to police, the premises had been leased to a private company and preliminary findings indicate possible irregularities in the construction process.
Agrawal revealed that two of the arrested individuals have previous criminal records and added that investigators are examining all aspects of the case and questioning the accused to determine accountability.
Special teams assigned for inquiry
To ensure a thorough inquiry, the West Bengal government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Joysurja Mukherjee, working alongside the detective department to investigate the case with utmost sincerity.
A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has also been devised by the authorities to guide the investigation. Police are coordinating with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to obtain technical and structural details related to the building.
"We have held preliminary discussions with the KMC, but a formal letter is still awaited," he said
Agnimitra Paul says new construction sites would undergo audits
The collapse of the warehouse was reported on Wednesday near Brace Bridge in the Taratala locality, trapping several workers beneath the debris and triggering a large-scale rescue operation involving multiple emergency agencies.
In response to the tragedy, State Minister Agnimitra Paul announced that all newly approved construction sites within KMC limits would undergo audits. She stated that the government is preparing strict inspection mechanisms and warned of severe action against those found responsible for violations of building norms.
Speaking to ANI, she said, "Following CM's instructions, all new construction sites under KMC limits will be audited. Today, we will hold a meeting to formulate SOPs for such audits. There can be no forgiveness for those from the past government who were involved in this. Strict action will be taken in this case. Notices have been sent to all illegal buildings. It is very tough to now streamline what was done by the previous government by allowing the construction of illegal buildings."
Building supervisor arrested
Earlier, police had arrested building supervisor Saiyad Md Gulzar and labour suppliers Md Ataul and Subhash Chowdhury in connection with the incident. Initial findings have also raised questions regarding the sanctioned construction plan. Authorities suspected discrepancies in the approval process and are examining whether deviations from the approved design contributed to the collapse. The investigations remain underway as officials seek to establish responsibility for one of Kolkata's deadliest construction-related accidents in recent years.
(Written by Jitisha Parihar. She is an intern with IndiaTV Digital.)
Also Read:
Kolkata warehouse collapse: Five dead, 20 injured, three arrested | What we know so far
