The collapse of the under-construction warehouse at Taratala on Wednesday, which killed at least five persons and injured at least 20 others, witnessed a coordinated rescue operation involving both the Centre and the state to keep the toll low.

The Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) worked in tandem with state agencies at the cave-in site.

Several state government officials said it was rare to witness such coordination during the previous Mamata Banerjee government, when the involvement of central agencies often became a contentious issue.

Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, who visited the site, pointed out how the central government agencies did not waste any time in launching rescue operations, while blaming a faulty construction plan for the collapse.

"I would also like to thank the army officers and the NDRF. When I spoke with the chief secretary around 2.30pm, we immediately decided not to delay and to call in the army. Even before the formal processes were completed, the army and NDRF had already been mobilised and, within an hour, around 3.15-3.20pm, they had joined the rescue operation," Suvendu told the media at Nabanna.

Suvendu said the number of casualties would have been much higher had such coordinated efforts not begun in time.

He praised the role of the police, fire brigade, civil defence personnel and residents who initiated the rescue efforts.

Suvendu said a few persons were still trapped under the debris, but rescue agencies were confident of bringing them out safely.

Suvendu also visited SSKM Hospital on Wednesday evening, where health minister Sharadwat Mukherjee and municipal affairs and urban development minister Agnimitra Paul accompanied him. Some of the injured have been admitted to the SSKM Hospital.

"I do not want to take credit. You (journalists) can judge for yourselves that under the previous administration, the army or NDRF would not have been called. Specialised machines required to cut through steel and concrete structures, as well as modern cranes, were not available (with the state agencies).... These agencies have saved a huge number of lives and initiated the rescue operation swiftly," Suvendu said.

Officials recalled several similar incidents, including the collapse of an illegal building in Garden Reach on April 17, 2024, initially killing eight persons, while the toll later rose to 13. Although the debris was cleared after more than three days of effort, neither the army nor the NDRF was involved in the rescue.

An official said that, apart from severe disasters such as Cyclone Amphan, the NDRF and other central agencies were rarely called upon to work jointly with state agencies during the previous regime.

Suvendu also referred to the Garden Reach incident.

"Have you forgotten the Garden Reach incident? Not a single person was rescued alive. All 13 trapped people died. Rescue operations continued for 72 hours. Those structures (at Garden Reach) were not even made of steel like the one in Taratala," he said. "This kind of Centre-state coordination did not exist before. Earlier administrations would think about who belonged to the Centre, who belonged to the state, which party was in power and which government (was responsible)," Suvendu said.

Hinting at past corruption, Suvendu claimed that the Taratala warehouse construction had been carried out with a faulty plan.

"Everyone knows that money changed hands for these approvals. We will have to rectify these issues gradually," said the chief minister.

He said all ongoing construction work, except emergency services, would remain suspended until July 31 and would resume only after receiving clearance following an audit.

He said that the government's action in response to the accident and the amount of compensation would be announced on the floor of the Assembly on Thursday.

Besides Suvendu, the CPM also accused the previous administration of allowing illegal construction on port land. The party claimed that despite lodging several complaints with the earlier Mamata Banerjee government, no action had been taken.

"From Strand Road to Garden Reach, the illegal transfer of port land parcels continued to provide political benefits to various private entities. We had earlier complained to the previous government about the illegal construction at that site. No action was taken either by the earlier or the current governments," said CPM state secretary Md Salim.

Trinamool's Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh welcomed the improved coordination between the Centre and the state during the rescue operation. "It is good if this government can maintain better coordination with the central government," he said.

On allegations of corruption, he said: "The law will take its own course."