62-yr-old dies after parapet wall caves in at Parnasree

Kolkata: A 62-year-old man was killed when a portion of the parapet wall of an old building at Parnasree fell on him. He was taken to Behala Vidyasagar Hospital where he was declared dead. The deceased was identified as Satya Senapati.

Locals said around 11 am on Wednesday that a portion of the parapet wall at 93, Ramakrishna Sarani fell on Senapati who was standing under it.

Attracted by a loud noise, locals rushed to the spot and found Senapati lying on the road in a pool of blood. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced brought dead.

The conservancy workers of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) cleared the debris. Senior civic officials said the building had not been repaired for several years and the structure itself is over 50 years old.

Senior civic officials said despite repeated requests, only few owners of old buildings had got the health of their houses examined by structural engineers. Some had also agreed to pull down the old structures to make room for new ones with proper rehabilitation of tenants. The owners of two houses on College Street have approached the KMC and got plans for the new buildings cleared as well. The officials said the only way the city can be saved is to pull down the old dilapidated structures and make new buildings.

Twenty five people died and several were injured when portions of old dilapidated buildings fell on them in the city in 2017. Two persons were injured critically when portions of a century-old building on B B Ganguly Street fell on them on December 29, 2017. On October 23, two were injured when the roof of an old building collapsed on Brabourne Road. On September 5, four persons were injured when the first floor balcony of an old building on Shibtala Lane in Burrabazar fell on them. Senior civic officials said the KMC had issued notices asking the residents to vacate the buildings but continued to stay in them risking their lives.