Kolkata building collapse: Death toll rises to 7; CM Mamata vows stern action against illegal construction

In Kolkatas Garden Reach district an underconstruction fivestory building fell killing at least seven people including two women and injuring several more Rescue attempts are underway as four people remain trapped beneath the debris with only one exhibiting signs of life 16 hours after the collapse according to fire officials statement to PTIAccording to the report Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim admitted that the structure was being built illegally and promised that strict action would be taken to enforce the law The buildings promoter Md Wasim has been arrestedHakim who is West Bengals urban development minister told PTI I spoke to the chief minister and we will provide Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs one lakh to each injured personHe further stated It illegal construction has been a trend here and also in some other areas since the Left Front era and added there could have been lapse on part of officials He added It is not the job of the local councillor but of the civic body officials to inspect whether constructions are taking place according to sanctioned plans from Kolkata Municipal Corporation or notMeanwhile a fire services official told PTI We are using gas cutters and other equipment to clear the debris and reach those who are stuck underneath Its taking a long time since we are proceeding cautiously towards the victims The personnel from NDRF the state and Kolkata Police disaster management teams are also working in tandem Owing to the massive pileup of debris rescue workers are finding it tough to reach those who have been trappedAnother senior officer told the news agency We have compiled a list of victims of the building collapse Seven people died and two of them were women Of the 15 injured people 11 are undergoing treatment at hospitals and four were discharged after preliminary treatmentWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the collapse scene and promised stern action against unlawful construction activity She sent her sympathies to the affected families and promised recompense for the slain and injuredSad to learn about the house collapse disaster of an underconstruction building in the Garden Reach area of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Our Mayor Fire Minister Secretaries and Commissioner of Police civic police fire and disaster management officers and teams including NDRF KMC and KP teams have been on site throughout the night to mitigate the disaster We stand by the distressed families and rescue operations shall continue Banerjee said on the microblogging site per the news agencyA bandaged Mamata after visiting the injured persons said This is an illegal construction I express my condolences to the family I will urge the administration to take strict action against those involved in the illegal constructionMeanwhile political leaders urged immediate action in response to the tragedy with TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee emphasising the need for rescue efforts over politics Banerjee further emphasised the importance of thorough monitoring of building activities and responsibility for personnel handling such projects stated PTIAccording to the reportState Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose confirmed that rescue operations are being carried out swiftly with attempts underway to rescue individuals trapped beneath the debrisResidents described the terrifying moments when the structure collapsed sending concrete fragments into surrounding shanties and generating fear in the heavily populated region Although no one lived in the underconstruction building it collapsed on the adjacent shanties We fear that many individuals might still be trapped under the rubble a resident told PTISuvendu Adhikari Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly has asked for the prompt involvement of the West Bengal State Disaster Management Team in rescue and relief activities he also had shared photos from the scene