Kolkata: The death toll from Wednesday’s collapse of an under-construction warehouse in Taratala climbed to eight on Thursday as police arrested five people allegedly tied to the project, officials said.
Police identified those taken into custody as Gulzar Hussain, supervisor of Ayan Traders; Kamal Samanto, who fabricated the iron structure; Sambhunath Behera, the land lessee; Dibakar Bhandari, a labour supplier and Trimex contractor; and Abdul Hamid, accused of brokering the building-plan sanction from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), as reported by India Today.
The case was moved from Taratala police station to the Detective Department and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to probe the disaster.
“The SIT will examine every aspect of the project,” an order from the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) said, naming structural design, material quality, execution and the approval process as key areas of inquiry.
Design & Materials Under Scrutiny
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who inspected the site, said the collapse appeared to have resulted from design failure rather than weather or soil issues. “What I saw convinced me that the collapse did not take place on account of the rains or possible soft soil on which the construction was taking place. It was because of a faulty structural design in which the iron beams weren’t able to take the load of concrete and crumbled to the ground,” he said.
Civil engineers at the site expressed similar concerns, pointing to possible shortcomings in the load-bearing capacity of the steel frame and an apparent lack of adequate bracing during reinforced cement concrete (RCC) casting. A fire services official also alleged that substandard construction materials may have been used.
Rescue Operation & Casualties
The warehouse’s roof and supporting framework caved in around noon while workers were on site, burying labourers beneath tonnes of concrete and twisted steel. Eight workers have been confirmed dead; about 20 others were rescued and taken to SSKM Hospital, with several remaining under treatment.
Rescue teams worked through the night. Kolkata Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Civil Defence, disaster management units, the National Disaster Response Force and the Army deployed heavy cranes, gas cutters, drones and sniffer dogs to search the rubble and reach trapped workers.
Administrative Action
The warehouse is on private lease from the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port. Following the collapse, Adhikari ordered all under-construction projects within KMC limits that were approved during the previous Trinamool government to be suspended until July 31. A multi-agency structural audit, headed by the chief secretary and including the PWD, Fire Services, Civil Defence, Kolkata Police and KMC, will inspect the sites. The projects that clear the audit can restart from August 1. Similar checks will later cover Howrah and Bidhannagar.
