Top News
6 die in Delhi building collapse (Lead)
New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS) Four children and two women were killed when a four-storey building collapsed here on Wednesday, police said, adding that six others were rescued from the rubble. Three of the injured were said to be critical.
Police said the old building in a JJ Cluster in north Delhi’s Sawan Park area collapsed around 9.30 a.m., following which area residents informed police that some tenants living in the structure were trapped under the rubble.
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force, police and Delhi Fire Services along with area residents undertook rescue work for over five hours and took the help of two cranes to pull out the trapped people.
“The dead children were Sumnesh, aged two, and his elder brother Rajnesh. Two other dead siblings were Ashi, aged three, and her brother Saurya, aged two, who stayed on the second floor. Two deceased women were Munni Devi, 40, and Seema, 25.
“The building was built about two decades ago was in bad condition,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Aslam Khan said.
According to Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, the six injured admitted there were Kamla Shankar, 18, Manju, 22, Laxman, 26, Vijay, 30, Nisha, 35, and Raj Bahadur, 35. The condition of three of them is said to be critical.
Delhi Police said that building owner Dharmender and his partner Sachin have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
“They absconded along with their family members after the collapse. A manhunt is on to nab them,” the DCP said.
The officer said that in August 2017 area resident Sanjeev Gupta had lodged a complaint on the online portal of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) about the building posing a danger to the public. “The team of area MCD officers had inspected the house just 20 days back,” the officer claimed.
According to the official, about 23 tenants from four families stayed on different floors of the building, constructed on a 25 square yard plot.
“They had also raised concerns over weak pillars and damaged portions of the structures before Dharmender, who assured of maintenance work soon. He also assured them of shifting them to his other property,” the official said.
“Luckily, 11 persons living in the building had left for their jobs/work half an hour before the structure collapsed. A majority of people who stayed there worked as labourers and carpenters. They wanted to leave after the NDMC officers visited it,” the official added.
The area residents accused the NDMC of negligence and said its officer visited the building but did not seal it because of corruption.
“We work as labourers. When we left for work in the morning, we saw our sons Sumnesh and Rajnesh studying. We did not know that it was the last time we were seeing them alive,” their sobbing parents Vimlesh and Bimla told IANS.
Adjoining buildings too suffered cracks due to the collapse of the building. Authorities ordered the evacuation of an adjoining four-storey building as a precautionary measure.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and the NDMC Mayor visited the spot.
Tiwari slammed the Kejriwal government and the previous Congress regimes for not taking steps to prevent such accidents.
–IANS
sp/tsb/bg
Top News
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.