Mohali building collapse: Unclear if building was legal, construction was ongoing at ground level, says MLA

There was some construction work going on at the ground level of the three-storey building which collapsed in Kharar region of the Mohali district on Saturday, according to Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu.

"The building collapsed around noon. It is unclear whether the building was legal or not. There was some construction work going on at the ground level to build some shops, we are waiting for the investigation to clarify whether it was legal or illegal work," Sandhu told ANI on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner (Mohali), Girish Dayalan said that apart from the one National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team on the spot, another will arrive soon and then Army is also on standby.

"Right now we are focused on the rescue operations. A team of 25 NDRF personnel is here and one more team of the team will arrive soon. The Army is also on standby and has offered to come and help if needed," Dayalan said.

Speaking about the rescued personnel and the number of people feared to be trapped, he added, "Two people had been rescued with minor injuries, they will be discharged soon, further three people more are likely to be trapped inside. The operation can take six hours we request the people to let the administration do its job."

Meanwhile, SHO Dr Surinder Singh who was present at the spot on behalf of the Health Department said that the administration is fully equipped to provide help to the people who will be rescued in the operations.

"We are here since noon, one person rescued has a fracture in his arm. We have 8 well-equipped ambulances waiting to take the rescued persons to the hospital. Some of the people trapped in the debris are talking with the people outside, so they must be safe," Surinder Singh said.

Further details are awaited.