Delhi Bara Hindu Rao Building, In the early hours of Friday, 11th July, the three storey building housing shops and godowns collapsed, killing a 46-year-old man . The building was a part of the Azad Market complex , near the Bara Hindu Rao area. It is worth noting that the building fell within the influence of the ongoing metro tunneling works being carried out for the Janakapuri West- R.K Ashram Marg corridor of the Delhi Metro.
According to the Delhi Fire Services, a call about the building collapse near Mithai Pul at Lohia Chowk was received at 1:56 AM. Following the distress calls, teams from Delhi Fire Services, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS), Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), and the Delhi Police crime unit reached the site for rescue and relief operations. By 6:50 AM, fire officials reported that the ground-plus-two structure (G+2) consisting of three shops and godowns had collapsed.
A single casualty has been reported. Manoj Sharma, a 46-year-old man who worked as an employee at shop 7A owned by Gulshan Mahajan, one of the three shops on the ground floor, was pulled out from under the rubble and taken to the nearby Hindu Rao Hospital where he was declared dead upon arrival.
While the cause of the collapse remains under investigation, officials said nearby metro construction work could be a factor. The Janakpuri West- R.K. Ashram corridor aims at establishing a short route between North Delhi and Central Delhi. The project was started in June 2022 and is geared towards completion in 2026.
A case has been registered under IPC sections 106(1) (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 290 (public nuisance). Addressing the situation in a statement, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation(DMRC) said, “The building had already been identified as unsafe prior to the commencement of tunneling work in the area and had been evacuated by DMRC.” The letters requesting the evacuation had been issued to the building owner by DMRC on June 12, as verified by local residents.
DMRC has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased, Manoj Sharma while further investigations remain pending.
This article is written by our intern Varisha Sharma.
