Portion of century-old house roof collapses near Ripon Street, no injuries
Telegraph | 4 March 2026
Portions of a house in Eliot Lane near Ripon Street in Calcutta collapsed on Tuesday morning, though no injuries were reported.
The two-storey building is home to 13 residents.
According to an engineer from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), an extension of the roof on one side gave way.
Tanvir Hussain, one of the tenants, said he had just stepped out to switch on the water pump when bricks suddenly came crashing down. “I was standing very close to the spot. I had a close shave,” he said.
Hussain said the century-old structure is a Waqf property and that all occupants are tenants. “There were some cracks, as you would expect in an old building, but nothing seemed very unusual,” he added. He also suggested that fresh cracks might have developed after last week’s earthquake.
Residents said they were fortunate that the debris fell into the courtyard while most people were still inside their rooms. A two-wheeler parked there was buried under the rubble.
A demolition team from the KMC visited the site.
A senior engineer said that, in addition to the fallen debris, some sections were still hanging dangerously and would be pulled down.
The residents said that only three workers carried out the demolition on Tuesday.
“They told us they usually work in teams of 10 or 12, but many workers were unavailable because of Holi. They expect to have full strength by Thursday,” a resident said.
Following the incident, CESC disconnected the building’s power supply, leaving it without electricity.
Hussain, who gone to his uncle’s home in Beckbagan to break the day’s fast, said he was likely to return at night.
“Many residents are still staying despite the power cut,” he said.