The incident took place at Dilshad Garden industrial area Thursday. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)Two labourers died and four others were injured after the wall of an aluminium factory collapsed in Dilshad Garden industrial area Thursday morning.
Police said an FIR has been registered against the factory owner, but no arrest has been made yet.
The fire department said they received information regarding the incident at 11.54 am. “Six people were buried under the debris. We have registered an FIR and further investigation is on,” DCP (Shahdara) Meghna Yadav said.
The victims were taken to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital where two labourers, Baldev Kumar (30) and Dharmender (40), were declared dead on arrival. Four others, Rajesh Choudary (27), Mohammed Jumman (24), Mohammed Shahadej and Rohan (36), are recuperating.
As per statements given by three injured men, around 30 people were working at the aluminium factory.
“Construction work was underway for the last three-four months around the old wall. Our employer was putting up a pillar for a new wall. Lintel — a horizontal support — had been set up to keep the structure in place. On Thursday morning, some stones fell on the lintel, following which the temporary wall collapsed,” Choudary told police in his statement.
East Corporation mayor Bipin Bihari Singh said the building was being repaired.
“They were repairing it… one stone fell and the wall collapsed as it was still under construction. Precautions should have been taken by the people in charge. There is no MCD violation as the construction was being done by an individual and he did not take the right precautions,” he said.
However, former BJP MLA from Shahdara Jitendra Singh Shunty, who went to the spot after the incident, said it is a failure of the administration. “I have been informed that the factory was closed from outside when construction was being carried out. What did they want to hide…? Such illegal constructions take place with connivance of civic agency officials,” he alleged.
East MCD commissioner Dilraj Kaur did not respond to calls and messages seeking comments.
