The promoter of an under-construction five-storey building in Birati, two of his partners and a contractor were arrested on Sunday after a portion of the rooftop wall of the building fell on 53-year-old Keya Sharma Chowdhury, killing her at the spot.
The homemaker was speaking on the phone outside her home around 9pm on Saturday when multiple bricks from the adjacent building fell on her head.
Police said the promoter of the under-construction building, Goutam Dey, his partners Sajib Sen and Souvik Majumdar, and the contractor, Ajay Patel, have been arrested. They have been charged under IPC sections on culpable homicide not amounting to murder and using poor quality materials.
The accused have been remanded in judicial custody.
Bidhan Biswas, the chairperson of North Dum Dum Municipality, said the under-construction building in Birati’s Sarat Chandra Colony is coming up with the permission of the civic body.
“The builders had submitted papers regarding the nature of the land, a soil test report and the building plan to our municipality,” Biswas said.
“The five-storey building has necessary permissions from the municipality. But the builder did not cover the building’s facade during construction, which is necessary. Our engineers have visited the site to see how the building was being constructed.”
The accident could have been averted had the structure been properly covered, said Biswas. “Around 20 to 25 bricks from a wall above came off and fell on the woman,” he said.
The Sharma Chowdhurys stay right next to the under-construction building. The two buildings share a boundary wall.
The tragedy in Birati happened exactly a fortnight after an allegedly illegal under-construction building collapsed in Garden Reach, killing 12 persons.
“My parents were watching TV when my mother received a call. She was walking outside the home and speaking on the phone. We suddenly heard a loud noise of something falling. We rushed out and found my mother bleeding and unconscious. Multiple bricks had fallen straight on her head. We rushed her to hospital but she died of the injuries,” said Souvik, the victim’s son.
A large team of officers from the airport police station rushed to the spot after news reached them. They stopped work at the site, sealed the under-construction building and detained 18 labourers.
The 7-cottah plot on which the building is coming up belonged to a relative of the Sharma Chowdhurys, who sold it to the promoter.
Residents of the area as well as the husband of the victim complained that the promoter didn’t follow the basic safety norms despite multiple alerts from neighbours.
“Concrete chunks and bricks would often fall from the top. We have raised the issue multiple times with the promoter but he didn’t pay any heed to our complaints. No safety net around the building was put in place to prevent accidents like this. Even the local councillor is aware of the violation but she did nothing,” said Sudip Sharma Chowdhury, the victim’s husband.
A neighbour, Dolly Roy, complained that while an 8ft gap between two buildings was kept at the bottom, the distance reduced significantly as the upper floors were constructed.
The local councillor, Mahua Shil, has an office at a site a stone’s throw from the building. “The building has all necessary permissions from the municipality. A probe has been initiated to find out the quality of materials used,” she said.
Biswas, the chairman of the municipality, said a team of engineers from the civic body visited the site on Sunday to collect samples of construction materials being used.
