Portion of decades-old building collapses near Chaura Bazaar in Ludhiana

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 3

Panic gripped the area when a large portion of a four-storey residential building, which is stated to be decades old, collapsed in Kucha Karta Ram street near Chaura Bazaar here on Friday.

MC officials said no casualty was reported in the incident.

The owner of the building, Lalit Kumar, said the incident took place in the afternoon when another old building in his neighbourhood was being demolished. Alerted after the appearance of a fresh big crack in his house, Lalit said he had brought his elderly parents safely out of the house just a few minutes before the mishap.

Lalit alleged that there were vibrations in the house building due to the ongoing demolition of the adjoining old building. He said his house and the adjoining building had a common wall. He had also complained to the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, on January 9, 2023, in this regard.

Lalit said he was on the job when he received a call from his mother about the appearance of a big crack in their house building today.

He said: “I rushed to the house as my elderly parents were inside. There was a big crack and soil was coming out from the portion. My father, who is a 75-year-old and a heart patient, was sitting in the sun on the top floor (fourth) of the building. It took around 10 minutes for me to bring my father downstairs. Later, I along with my mother and father, stepped out of house safely after which the building collapsed within a few minutes.”

“We are safe but all our belongings got buried under the debris. Our building got destroyed due to the inappropriate demolition of the adjoining building. I had also complained to the civic body on January 9 against the demolition of the adjoining building. But the owner of the adjoining building continued the demolition,” he said.

However, MC’s ATP Mohan Singh said the rear portion of the 100-year-old building collapsed today, adding that the building was unsafe and theMC had issued a notice last month to the owner to vacate it.

The MC Zonal Commissioner at Zone A, Neeraj Jain, who visited the site after the incident, said no casualty was reported in the incident. They were looking into the matter, he added.

‘Demolition in neighbourhood caused mishap’

The owner of the building of which a large portion was collapsed, Lalit Kumar, said the incident took place in the afternoon on Friday when another old building in his neighbourhood was being demolished.