Baghajatin collapse: 3-day cop remand for promoter
Times of India | 18 January 2025
123 Kolkata: The Netaji Nagar cops have claimed that promoter Subhas Roy, arrested after a tilting building collapsed in Baghajatin's Vidyasagar Colony, might have tried to rope in "experts" for hydraulic jacking without verifying the soil condition or stability of the structure. He may have even pressured them into meeting a deadline after cracks began to appear in the building.
While the police asked for a five-day remand to question Roy on his motive behind pushing for the hydraulic ‘lifting' of the building without informing the KMC, cops were allowed to take the promoter on a three-day remand. In addition to the BNS Act, the accused has been charged under multiple sections of the KMC Act, including illegal construction and dangerous construction.
A forensic team, meanwhile, visited the spot and collected samples necessary to probe the case. This included the soil sample and that of the materials. The experts stayed at the spot for around an hour before leaving. "We will send all the elements to the lab and expect to get the results before filing the charge sheet," said a source.
The KMC engineers used special beams on Friday to strengthen the collapsed building to stop it from tilting further. The demolition team also managed to significantly demolish the adjoining one-storey building on which this four-storey structure collapsed. However, it will take a few more days before this task can be completed, stated KMC engineers at the site.
Taking a learning from the incident, the state govt on Friday decided to implement the SOP on rectification of leaning buildings that KMC had prepared across the state. This included the need for soil tests by qualified engineers, evaluating the building's strength, assessing the feasibility of conducting such an operation and looking at the threats it may pose to other buildings. The state urban development department will issue a circular on the SOP soon, minister Firhad Hakim said.