Police officers probing the collapse of the five-storey building in Garden Reach said the foundation of the structure was not according to the prescribed norms and its depth was way less than the thumb rule of seven feet.
A section of investigators cited this on Wednesday as the “possible cause of the collapse”, quoting a government engineer who they consulted during the investigation.
“There was no soil test and the foundation was not in accordance with the building rules. As a result, the pillars couldn’t transmit the load from the top,” said a senior officer.
“One of the pillars of the building caved in and the structure tilted before collapsing. We have sought the opinion of forensic experts about the building material that was used.”
Senior officers said the forensic report would be crucial in this case because it could help the investigators ascertain whether the mix of cement and sand was according to the norms.
“The forensic report after the collapse of the Vivekananda Road flyover proved crucial,” the officer said.
Till Wednesday, two persons have been arrested in connection with the fall of the building.
One of them is the developer of the building, Mohammad Wasim. The other is Mohammad Sarfaraz, aka Pappu, one of the owners of the plot on which the building was being constructed.
The police have found during the investigation that there are two others who own the plot jointly with Pappu. A search has been launched for the two.
Pappu was produced in court on Wednesday and remanded in police custody for 13 days.
A prosecution lawyer in the Alipore court said it was “a very serious incident” as 10 people have died.
“We want to know the nature of the contract signed by the builder and the land owners. It appears that inferior quality materials were used for the construction. It is important to find out what kind of deal was struck between them,” the prosecution lawyer said.
Pappu’s lawyer said his client was innocent. A plot owner, he submitted, has no role to play in the construction of a building.
The court rejected Pappu’s bail plea.
Mohammad Wasim, who was produced in the court on Tuesday and is in police remand, will be produced again in the court, along with Pappu, on April 1.
