Building collapse: SDMC suspends three senior officials

BJP-ruled SDMC today suspended three senior officials in connection with the west Delhi building collapse last night, even as it maintained that "seepage in sewer line" made the foundation of the building "weak" leading to the incident.
A four-storeyed building in Vishnu Garden area had collapsed last night leaving five people dead and eight injured.
The area falls in the West Zone of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).
"Three officials of the Building Department of the West Zone were suspended for lapse of duty. The officials are - Executive Engineer A K Meena, Assistant Engineer A K Mittal and Junior Engineer Arvind Kumar," a senior SDMC official said.

According to SDMC, the building was 25 years old and "no buildings laws were violated" as alleged by AAP.
"A sewer line was laid in the area about it three months ago, and seepage in it had made the foundation of the building weak, which led to the collapse," a senior SDMC official claimed.

Asked if any complaint in this regard was received at the corporation, he said, "Sewer lines fall under the DJB and not our jurisdiction. And, no DJB official has visited the accident site till now."
Senior AAP leader and party MLA from Tilak Nagar Jarnail Singh has held the municipal corporation responsible for the incident.

Singh, who visited the site of the accident late last night, alleged violation of municipal building laws as the reason behind the mishap.
"The municipal corporation is completely responsible for this collapse incident. Such incidents keep taking place in Delhi because people violate norms and MCD must check those violations and not allow any lapse in it," the AAP MLA told PTI.
Senior BJP leader and South Delhi Mayor Subhash Arya, who visited the accident site this morning along with other senior officials of SDMC has countered the allegation and blamed AAP MLAs over the incident.
"Local AAP MLAs stop municipal officials from taking regular actions against unauthorised constructions, when they visit the area," Arya alleged.

According to the senior official, "From April to July, SDMC had booked 1,400 properties for unauthorised constructions, out of which 12 were found to be dangerous.