Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 25 (ANI): West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul on Thursday said that all new construction sites under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) limits will undergo audits following the collapse of an under-construction godown shed in the city’s Taratala area that killed eight people.
Speaking to ANI, Paul said, “Following CM’s instructions, all new construction sites under KMC limits will be audited. Today, we will hold a meeting to formulate SoPs for such audits. There can be no forgiveness for those from the past government who were involved in this. Strict action will be taken in this case. Notices have been sent to all illegal buildings. It is very tough to now streamline what was done by the previous government by allowing the construction of illegal buildings.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the eight deceased in the collapse of an under-construction godown shed in Kolkata’s Taratala area. According to the PMO, the 20 people injured in the mishap will receive Rs 50,000 from the Centre.
This came after an under-construction godown shed collapsed near Brace Bridge in Kolkata’s Taratala area on Wednesday, triggering a large-scale rescue operation involving multiple agencies.
According to Kolkata Police, the death toll in the incident has risen to eight, while 20 people sustained injuries.
Meanwhile, three persons, building supervisor Saiyad Md Gulzar and two labour suppliers, Md Ataul and Subhash Chowdhury, were arrested in connection with the collapse, and the West Bengal government subsequently constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Joysurja Mukherjee, to investigate the case.
West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh has alleged that “big political names” could be linked to the collapse. “An inquiry will be done into the corruption, and the culprits will be punished. Our government has started this work; no one will be spared. Not just four people, there may be other big political names connected to the incident. Everything will be revealed,” Ghosh told reporters.
West Bengal Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee had said 90-95 per cent of the workers at the site were from Bihar and had arrived in Kolkata only two to three days earlier. (ANI)
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