Chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited the Garden Reach area of the city today, where an under-construction building collapsed, leaving seven people dead. At least twenty people were rescued and sent to the hospital. Miss Banerjee directed Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal to take action against those involved in the illegal construction of the five-storey building, which collapsed around midnight in the area.

Muhammad Wasim, the accused promoter, was arrested in this connection. Around 12 o’clock last night, the under-construction multi-storey building of Ward No. 134 of Gardenrich collapsed on the neighbouring shanty. Several tiled, makeshift houses collapsed. The mayor of Kolkata and the minister of public works and urban development, Firhad Hakim, arrived there at night. Incidentally, Hakim is also the MLA for the area. Cabinet minister Sujit Basu also went to the spot. They were in the area all night.

Banerjee also visited the hospital where the injured persons are undergoing treatment. Police and disaster management teams swiftly evacuated 20 people, among them 13 injured, while the search is on for survivors who may be trapped under the rubble. West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose announced that Rs 5 lakhs will be given as compensation to the next of kin of the deceased, and Rs 1 lakh will be given to those injured.

The victims who died in the disaster are Shama Begam (44), Hasina Khatun (55), Rizwan Alam (22), Akbar Ali (34), Muhammad Wasik, Muhammad Imran, and Ramjan Ali. Among the deceased were three children. “This is a very congested area. This building had no sanction from the authorities, and it was illegal. I have told the CP and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to take action,” Miss Banerjee told reporters after taking stock of the situation. Mayor Firhad Hakim said that several steps were taken to rescue the trapped victims. Meanwhile, the opposition parties have started to blame the government for the alleged rampant unauthorised construction in the city.

The Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, also demanded the arrest of the local councillor. However, Trinamul Congress leader Shantanu Sen gave a statement based on Sukanta and Suvendu’s complaint: “The Chief minister has said that the culprits will be punished. The BJP need not think about it,” he said. Holding KMC responsible, CPI-M politburo member Muhammad Salim demanded resignation of Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim and a highlevel probe into an unauthorised construction incident. Additionally, chaos ensued when BJP leader Sajal Ghosh arrived, causing local residents’ fury.