Alipur godown collapse: Two held, one at large; Delhi BJP demands action against DM, SDM

Additional DCP informed that two people have been arrested in the matter so far. One of the arrested identified as Sikandar is a contractor of the site, the second one identified as Satish was posted there as a supervisor, while the third accused -- who is still absconding -- is identified as Shakti Singh, the owner of the warehouse.

New Delhi: After the godown collapse in the Bakuli village of Alipur that killed five people, Corporation commissioner Gyanesh Bharti has suspended an assistant and a junior engineer while the investigation into the incident is underway. The authorities also appealed for a probe into the legalities behind the construction of the said godown.

Meanwhile, the Delhi BJP demanded action against the local District Magistrate (DM) and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) as the BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor alleged that both the officials were also equally responsible for the accident leading to the death of five labourers. Kapoor informed that the villagers had reached out to the DM and SDM about the illegal construction on the cultivable land, but they were not paid heed to. By law, it is the responsibility of the office of SDM, ADM and DM to stop illegal construction on agricultural land in Delhi, the official clarified.

Further demanding the Kejriwal government to take action against the people in charge, Kapoor alleged several such warehouses are being openly built all over North West Delhi. "Delhi government officials extort a lot of money through such illegal constructions. AAP leader Durgesh Pathak is blaming the Municipal Corporation for the accident, but he should know the law before speaking. He's an MLA now and therefore the responsibility for the accident lies with him," he said.

Shedding some light on the matter, Additional DCP Raja Banthiya informed that two people have been arrested in the matter so far, while one is still absconding. One of the arrested identified as Sikandar is a contractor of the site and a resident of Budhpur village in the Alipur area. The second arrested identified as Satish was posted there as a supervisor, while the third accused--who is still absconding -- is identified as Shakti Singh, the owner of the warehouse.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the warehouse was built in an area of about 5,000 yards. The accident happened while the construction of a wall was underway here, with 13 labourers working on the construction site. It is alleged that the authorities had ordered for the construction to stop, citing it as illegal and highly dangerous, but it was continued nevertheless before the accident happened.