Kolkata warehouse collapse toll rises to 16, 6 arrested so far

The death toll in the collapse of an under-construction warehouse in west Kolkata's Taratala rose to 16, even as rescue teams continued searching the debris after signs emerged that at least three more people could still be trapped. Police have so far arrested six people, including the OSD to former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim.

Kalicharan Bandyopadhyay, former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former city mayor Firhad Hakim was arrested after being detained for questioning by a SIT team. His arrest arrest came hours after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari made certain remarks in the Assembly against an individual, apparently referring to the former OSD. Bandyopadhyay will be produced before a court on Friday.

Other arrested have been identified as Gulzar Hussain, supervisor of Ayan Traders; Kamal Samanto, the iron structure fabricator; Sambhunath Behera, lessee of the land; Dibakar Bhandari, a labour supplier and Trimex contractor; and Abdul Hamid, who allegedly acted as a broker for obtaining sanction of the building plan from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

The action came as Kolkata Police constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the disaster, which brought down a three-storey warehouse under construction on Transport Depot Road near Brace Bridge on Wednesday afternoon.

According to an order issued by the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), the case has been transferred from Taratala Police Station to the Detective Department. The SIT, officials said, will examine every aspect of the project, including the structural design, quality of materials used, execution of construction work and the approval process through which the project received clearance.

DESIGN, MATERIALS UNDER SCANNER

The arrests come amid growing indications that investigators suspect serious lapses in the planning and execution of the project. Adhikari, who inspected the site after the collapse, alleged that the structure failed because of a faulty design rather than rain or weak soil conditions.

"What I saw convinced me that the collapse did not take place on account of the rains or possible soft soil on which the construction was taking place. It was because of a faulty structural design in which the iron beams weren't able to take the load of concrete and crumbled to the ground," he said.

Civil engineers at the site echoed similar concerns, pointing to possible deficiencies in the load-bearing capacity of the steel framework and the apparent absence of adequate support braces required during RCC casting.

A fire services official also alleged that substandard construction materials may have been used.

HOW THE TRAGEDY OCCURRED

The roof and supporting structure of the warehouse caved in around noon while construction work was underway, burying workers under tonnes of concrete and twisted steel. The warehouse is a private leasehold property under the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port.

The rescue operation continued through the night with personnel from Kolkata Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Civil Defence, disaster management teams, the NDRF and the Army working together to reach trapped workers.

Heavy cranes, gas cutters, drones and sniffer dogs were deployed as rescuers cut through the debris in search of survivors.

CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS HALTED

The tragedy has triggered a wider review of ongoing construction projects in the city. Adhikari announced that all under-construction projects approved during the previous Trinamool regime within Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits would remain suspended until July 31 pending a structural audit.

The audit will be conducted by a multi-agency team comprising officials from the Public Works Department, Fire Services, Civil Defence, Kolkata Police and the KMC under the supervision of the chief secretary.

The chief minister said projects that clear the audit will be allowed to resume work from August 1, while similar inspections will subsequently be extended to Howrah and Bidhannagar.