As the blame game began on the lapses which triggered the collapse of the three-storeyed building, Municipal Commissioner C. Anuradha said the building owner had to take full responsibility for the incident. After inspecting the site, she said action would be taken against the owner basing on the inquiry report submitted by the Engineering department.
Ms. Anuradha said building owner Naralasetty Narasimha Rao had been served notices for evacuation of a portion of the building built 12 years ago.
The Commissioner said Mr. Rao had encroached on the main road and built the G plus 2 structure. After being served the notice, he began to demolish the structure but had failed to take precautions while digging the ground. Recently, he took up renovation work on the remaining part of the building without bothering to strengthen the pillars.
On Saturday, the building came down even as the workers had gone out for a break. Locals who were shocked ran helter skelter and the police had a tough time in controlling the traffic. K. Srinivasa Rao, DSP, East, said the police had placed barricades to prevent people from entering the building.