Lahori Gate Building collapse: 'Structure was 40-50 yrs old'
New Delhi: The two-storey building that collapsed in the city's Lahori Gate area on Sunday, killing three people, was 40-50 years old and "belonged to the waqf board", according to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
The building collapsed on Sunday evening, killing a four-year-old girl. Two more bodies were pulled out from the debris, taking the toll in the incident to three, police said on Monday.
Meanwhile, the MCD on Monday said, "According to the information available from local sources, the building was 40-50 years old."
The property belonged to the Delhi Waqf Board, it said in a statement.
A senior Delhi Waqf Board official, however, said the building belonged to a mosque in the area.
"According to the information available to MCD, the property no. 1523 Farsh Khana Lahori Gate is situated adjacent to a mosque, having an area of 100 square yards. The property is located in an area wherein most structures or buildings are constructed on load-bearing walls without anyC.
"The property had a ground floor, a first floor and a partly-constructed second floor. No construction had taken place in the recent past and neither any construction or repair work nor any building material was found stacked at the site," the statement said.
"Moreover, no complaints regarding any construction activities carried out in the said property has been received by the building department of the City SP Zone," it added.
Due to incessant rains in the last few days, percolation of rain water in the brick or masonry material of the building "might have weakened the structure, resulting into the collapse of the building or property due to its own weight", the civic body said.
Those who sustained injuries in the incident were shifted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital with the help of police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, it said, adding that the debris was removed with the help of the local administration and the NDRF.
