Under Construction school building collapsed at SRS Residency

[webmaster]

TNN

FARIDABAD: Four labourers, including two brothers, were crushed to death when the school they were building came crashing down in sector 88 of Greater Faridabad, around 30km from Delhi, on Tuesday. The collapse was the second in two days - on Monday, a boundary wall of a crusher site fell in Faridabad, killing four labourers.

The contractor, who has been accused of building a school on a plot meant for a park, is on the run while the owner is unidentified.

The basement, ground floor and first floor of the three-storey building collapsed around 12.45pm when work was on at full swing. While the labourers came under the debris, at least 10 others - including a couple putting up on first floor - were injured. Rescue operations were on till late in the night. At least six people are believed to be still trapped.

'Hollow' basement couldn't take load

Two back-to-back incidents of building collapse have left eight labourers dead here. Tuesday's mishap was reported at a school building under construction in Sector 88 of Greater Faridabad. The National Disaster Response Force was called in from Ghaziabad to help the Faridabad police and fire department officials who reached the spot within 20 minutes of the incident. Those who were on the upper floors were moved immediately to hospitals but rescuers could not get to many of the labourers who were putting up on the ground floor. Around seven people were pulled out, but locals said at least four more could be trapped still.

Police said the three-storey structure was coming up in the SRS Residency area located off the Kheri Bypass Road in Greater Faridabad. The basement of the school, which was to act as an underground parking lot for an adjacent complex, collapsed along with the completed ground and first floor of the building. Sources, however, said a park was to come up over the parking lot but the builders sold the plot for the three-storey school. The "hollow basement" could not take the weight of the two floors above and caved in, they said.

While the SRS Group did not comment, sources there said the owners of the building had hired private contractors for whom they could not be held responsible. Haryana labour minister Shiv Charan Sharma, who visited the site, seemed to agree when he said the building had "collapsed on its own", for no fault of its owner. He directed the school management to pay Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.

Revenue minister Mahendra Pratap Singh too visited the spot. The Faridabad SDM has ordered a magisterial inquiry. "We have filed a complaint of culpable homicide and negligence against the owner of the plot (SRS group) and the school authorities as well as the contractor of the site at the Bhupani police station. The identity of the owner is being ascertained," said a senior police officer. The authorities have taken the maps and site plans of the building in their custody. The land records show that the property had been leased out to the school, and cops are looking into the legality of the matter.

Officials said the brothers killed have been identified as Viru and Gopal. Identity of the other victims is being determined. The injured have been identified as Hemant, Dipu, Ram Pradhan, Amarjeet, Ahmed, Rekha and her husband Kamlesh.

Faridabad commissioner Shatrujit Kapur confirmed the contractor was on the run. Rescue operations would continue through the night, he said. "A joint CP level officer is conducting the operations... We are trying to remove huge blocks of concrete. Besides big cranes, several JCBs have been pressed into service. We have dispatched 150 trainees, being guided by 50 officials," Kapur said. District collector Balraj Singh Mor is camping in the area to oversee the operations.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 579271.cms

[dheerajjain]

Politicians and Ministers in Faridabad are in nexus with these private builders in Greater Faridabad. It is no surprise that they are defending SRS who is non-defendable as per law of land (Haryana Apartment and Ownership Act, 1983).
Full law is at forum on the-haryana-apartment-ownership-act-1983-t233.html

[angsuman]

As per TOI: Police said the three-storey structure was coming up in the SRS Residency area located off the Kheri Bypass Road in Greater Faridabad. The basement of the school, which was to act as an underground parking lot for an adjacent complex, collapsed along with the completed ground and first floor of the building. Sources, however, said a park was to come up over the parking lot but the builders sold the plot for the three-storey school. The "hollow basement" could not take the weight of the two floors above and caved in, they said.

While the SRS Group did not comment, sources there said the owners of the building had hired private contractors for whom they could not be held responsible. Haryana labour minister Shiv Charan Sharma, who visited the site, seemed to agree when he said the building had "collapsed on its own", for no fault of its owner. He directed the school management to pay Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.

Revenue minister Mahendra Pratap Singh too visited the spot. The Faridabad SDM has ordered a magisterial inquiry. "We have filed a complaint of culpable homicide and negligence against the owner of the plot (SRS group) and the school authorities as well as the contractor of the site at the Bhupani police station. The identity of the owner is being ascertained," said a senior police officer. The authorities have taken the maps and site plans of the building in their custody. The land records show that the property had been leased out to the school, and cops are looking into the legality of the matter.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/Building-collapse-kills-4-in-Faridabad/articleshow/17579271.cms

We Should arrange a mass protest by today or tomorrow against malpractices of builder & poor quality of construction. "Tayoa garam hay mar do hatorah" to highlight all the issue in front of TV news channels.

[webmaster]

Yes, I fully support the suggestion of organizing a protest rally by the SRS members and all GFWA/community members to again highlight these issues of builder/politician/administration nexus.

[vineet]

It appears that there is absolutely no hope for common man.

1. Do people in construction business do not know that the structure was not good enough to support 3 story building?

Yes, they knew but they never care about human lives...... They are just greedy for money.

2. Despite lodging several complaints on illegal land use and inferior quality of constructions, are DTCP and STP/DTP not aware of these?

Ans - Same as 1.

3. Is Haryana govt not aware of builder malpractices? We have sent several complaints to them.

Ans - Same as 1.

Just remember - Its not the only incidence. End 2010 RPS Omaxe green Valley had a similar incidence due to inferior construction quality. Tomorrow it could be some other project.

The only solution is people coming on roads against these malpractices. Unfortunately, we do not even do that.

[mikesab]

I am in Omaxe Heights but count me in for the protest rally.

[dheerajjain]

Count me also for Protest Rally. Vineet, let us try once again though in previous protest by GFWA, there were only 150 residents.

Navbharat Times has a big coverage on this topic and it mentions the law that builder can't sell school land in Group Housing Society to 3rd party. Please find attached

[brandoo]

SRS violated the Ownership act guidelines. If this was approved by TCP/HUDA then Govt violated its own act and guilty must be punished. As per TOI, Some minister have already given clean chit to SRS. This speaks volumes about the nexus between greedy builder's and Politicians.

Where Dependar Hooda, who is very vocal in claiming that Haryana is leading state in the country. Shame on these people.
Count me in for any protest.

[gopalvijay]

Various Ministers, The Police, The district Administration Top Officials and the DTCP have all given a clean chit to SRS. Shows the power of money !

[tulinder]

I feel very sorry for the people trapped and killed.

Actual, status is as per news in sify.

"At least 25 people were trapped in the building but eyewitnesses feared that the number could be around 100," an official said.
The academic classes (2013-14) were supposed to begin in the building in the coming months.

Nearly half a dozen cranes, 10-15 fire tenders and 20-25 ambulances were pressed into the relief operation.

"It might take a day or two to remove the complete debris," said another official.

"Once the rescue and relief operations are over, a criminal case against the culprits will be lodged under appropriate sections of law," the police commissioner told IANS.

[dheerajjain]

According to Section 3 (3) (iv) on page 9 mentioned in THE HARYANA DEVELOPMENT AND REGULATION OF URBAN AREAS ACT, 1975 (resources/file/366), school land is meant to be transferred to Govt. free of cost on demand by builder in Group Housing Society. So, there can't be lease or selling of this land by builder since it belongs to Govt. Builder is required to construct school at this land on his own expense and then transfer that to Govt. on demand.

[dheerajjain]

Condition at ground is worse as Tulinder mentioned in post. Death toll has now reached 6 with more bodies found.
Mr. Prabhu Razdan, Faridabad editor of Hindustan Times on 12-12-12 reports

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-new ... 72037.aspx

Faridabad mishap: toll reaches six

A magisterial enquiry has been ordered into the collapse of the play school building in Greater Faridabad on Tuesday. The toll of the incident climbed to six after three
more bodies of labourers were fished out by the police even as rescue operation continued on the second day. A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been registered against the owner, managing director and all the directors of SRS Real Estate Limited, SRS Multiplex City centre, Sector 12, as well as the lease holder Sukhvarsha Malhotra and contractor of the site. "I have ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident to be conducted by the Faridabad SDM. He’ll file the report in 15 days", said deputy commissioner, Faridabad, Balraj Singh.

Meanwhile, an SRS spokesman said the site had the approval from the Directorate of Town and Country Planning, Haryana, for the construction of a nursery school.

The incident had happened around 12.45pm on Tuesday when the construction work on the nursery school was going on in full swing inside SRS Residency in Sector 88 of Greater Faridabad.

[tulinder]

I agree with Dheeraj Jain, Please see the progress of Police after 48 Hrs.

Case filed in Monday mishap

new delhi: Police have registered case of negligence against owner of the stone crushing unit after four labourers died due to a wall collapse in Faridabad late on Monday evening. “We have registered a case of negligence against the owner and contractor of the crusher,” said the SHO of Sector 55 police post Devinder Singh. htc

[tulinder]

Various Ministers, The Police, The district Administration Top Officials and the DTCP have all given a clean chit to SRS. Shows the power of money !

All above are here for money and power only. Someone has lost his life and these peoples made this source of income for them.

[tulinder]

SRS violated the Ownership act guidelines. If this was approved by TCP/HUDA then Govt violated its own act and guilty must be punished. As per TOI, Some minister have already given clean chit to SRS. This speaks volumes about the nexus between greedy builder's and Politicians.

Where Dependar Hooda, who is very vocal in claiming that Haryana is leading state in the country. Shame on these people.
Count me in for any protest.

Pl count me for protest with 5 peoples