Two killed, two injured as dilapidated building collapses at Baithakkhana Road

Kolkata: Two people were killed and two others injured after a portion of an old dilapidated building collapsed at Baithakkhana Road in Central Kolkata early on Monday morning.

The injured were taken to NRS Medical College and hospital, where Gopal Naskar and Manik Jana were declared brought dead. Two others have been admitted.

At around 2 am on Monday, a portion of an old dilapidated two-storeyed building at 15/16, Baithakkhana Road, collapsed. Attracted by a loud noise, local people went to the spot and tried to extricate the injured from the rubbles. They also informed the Fire and Emergency Services personnel and local police.

On getting information, the Disaster Management officials and their counterparts in Kolkata Municipal Corporation's Building department went to the spot. The police cordoned off the entire area to help the Disaster Management and Fire Brigade personnel carry on with their operation.

Mayor Sovan Chatterjee said that the building had been declared as dilapidated by the KMC and accordingly, notice was served to the owner, asking him to repair the structure.

Chatterjee said the civic authorities had asked him to vacate the premises. KMC has requested the owners of old, dilapidated and tenanted buildings to allow them to pull down the old structure and make room for a new one with proper rehabilitation of the tenants, said the Mayor.

"We have amended the KMC law and we urge the owners of old buildings to get in touch with KMC and take necessary action," Chatterjee said. It may be mentioned that KMC has asked all the owners of buildings that are more than 50 years old, to get the structures examined by certified structural engineers.

Aparajita Dasgupta, chairman of Borough V and councillor of ward 49, said the owner had been requested to repair the structure repeatedly. But he did not listen to the request and continued to stay in the old structure.

Senior KMC officials said monsoon is a serious threat to old structures, as the accumulated water on the roof increases the weight of the buildings, resulting in collapse of the roof.