Rampur Kalan shed collapse: Probe finds serious lapses

Gaurav Kanthwal

Zirakpur, April 12

The Mohali administration probe into the collapse of a warehouse shed in which two women labourers were killed and five seriously injured in Rampur Kalan has found serious lapses on the part of contractor Prem Singh and shed owner Gurjit Singh Kohli, brother of Patiala Urban AAP MLA Ajit Pal Singh Kohli.

The four-member committee, comprising the Mohali SDM, Zirakpur DSP, GMADA executive engineer and the PWD subdivisional officer, has submitted the report to Mohali Deputy Commissioner Amit Talwar about the March 29 incident.

Mohali SDM Harbans Singh said, “The committee has submitted its report to the DC for action.”

Sources said the contractor, Prem Singh, has owned the responsibility for the collapse of the shed but the probe found lapses on the part of owner Gurjit Singh Kohli.

“No approval was sought from GMADA for the construction of a shed on an area of about one and half acre. The owner did not apply for the change of land use (CLU) permission and building plan approval,” officials said.

“The contractor was not registered with GMADA and was not following the safety guidelines,” they said.

Sources said GMADA officials had visited the site on March 30 and stopped the work. It was only after the incident that GMADA issued a notice on April 1.

Two women labourers, Radha (40) and Abbu (35) of Jodhpur, were killed when the under-construction shed collapsed at the warehouse on the Zirkapur-Patiala highway on Tuesday morning. The police did not identify anyone responsible for the incident and initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC.