Delhi: Residents of Bawana fear for lives, say over dozens more buildings on verge of collapse

Paramjit Singh, a resident of Bawana, said that during the tenure of the Congress government dozens of three-storey buildings were built under Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana in Bawana area but those flats were not allotted to anyone. 

"No one lives in these flats. The area is now dominated by thieves and drug addicts. Every day, thieves and drug addicts take out bars and iron items from the pillars of buildings. There is no building built under the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana that would be in a proper condition. All of them have been hollowed out and might fall sooner or later," Singh said, raising serious concerns. 

Sachin, another local in the area narrated the same ordeal.

"Thieves and drug addicts have taken out iron bars from the pillars and stairs of all the buildings. Moreover, all the sewer covers in the area have also been stolen. While walking through this area, one has to be extra careful to avoid falling into these sewers," Sachin said. 

He further said that on several occasions, the residents have raised their concerns with the administration but no heed has been paid to the issues. 

"Recently, four people stole motor and tubewell from a nearby field," Sachin said. 

On Friday afternoon, a portion of an old building built under Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana in Bawana's JJ colony collapsed. According to the police, the three-storey building was in a dilapidated condition. Four people including a 9-year-old girl died in the incident. Two people were safely rescued from the site and are being treated at a hospital. 

In a conversation with ANI, the fire personnel involved in the rescue operation said that the reason for the collapse of this building was that its pillars were hollow and the building had no support and thus it could not stand.