New Delhi: The site of the building collapse
in Old Delhi saw protests on Wednesday morning by angry locals who
claimed that the nexus between politicians, MCD officials and
police allowed rampant illegal construction in their locality,
even as rescue operations continued.
Chandni Mahal saw women leading sloganeering against the
authorities, alleging that politicians and officials were
"filling their pockets" by allowing the illegal structures to
come up.
In Pics: Delhi building collapse
Two buildings in the locality, which has congested lanes,
collapsed at around 8 pm yesterday due to construction
activity
in one of them, killing seven persons and causing injuries to
at least 25 others. Locals claim that the construction in one
of the buildings that collapsed could be illegal.
"All are hand-in-glove. Police and MCD officials take
money and allow illegal construction. The buildings are very
old and no care is taken," said Abida, a local woman.
Shadra, another woman, said officials turn their eyes
from illegal activities while "poor people like us suffer."
The policemen who came to evict the protesters near the
site to facilitate rescue operations were heckled and shouted
at by the women who asked them not to "dare to remove us".
The protests not withstanding, locals also helped rescue
workers in clearing the debris and look for any survivors in
the concrete rubble. However, the narrow lanes hampered the
pace of the rescue work.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, September 28, 2011, 12:18