West Bengal Building Collapse: “Accidents Are Not Accidental, There Is Always a Human Failure,” Says Governor CV Ananda Bose

At least 8 persons, including two women, were killed, and several others were injured after a five-storey under-construction building collapsed in Kolkata’s Garden Reach area late on the night of March 17. The incident occurred around 11:49 p.m., and the under-construction building came crashing down on nearby shanties. The victims who died in the collapse were residents of the shanties on which the building fell.

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose visited the incident site in South Kolkata following the Metiabruz building collapse. Regarding the incident, Governor Bose said, "Accidents are not accidental. There is always a human failure behind it. It's very painful to see people die for no fault of theirs. There is a failure on the part of the builder. There is more failure on the part of the supervisors. Unauthorized constructions do not spring overnight. Authorities had information about it... The government has the option to set up task forces to identify all the unauthorized constructions and take immediate necessary steps. I will certainly hold a meeting of experts from IIT Kharagpur, Central Building Research Institute, Structural Engineering Research Center, and others."

#WATCH | Kolkata: On the collapse of a 5-storey under-construction building in Metiabruz, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose says, "Accidents are not accidental. There is always a human failure behind it. It's very painful to see people die for no fault of theirs. There is a… pic.twitter.com/zIr5wjka9p

— ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2024

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also visited the collapse site and stated that "official permission to construct the building was not given by the state administration." She added, "Rescue work started immediately after the accident. Two people have died, five to six people are still trapped inside. They will also be rescued soon. Officials from medical, fire, and other departments are deployed. The building was being constructed illegally. Official permission to construct the building was not given by the state administration."

The Chief Minister further stated that orders have been given to investigate the accident and that strict action will be taken against those involved in the construction. The state government will provide assistance to the families of the dead and injured, as well as to those whose houses were damaged nearby.

Earlier, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim visited the accident spot and announced Rs 5 lakhs compensation to the victims' next of kin and Rs 1 lakh for each of the injured individuals. West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose warned that "more people are likely to be trapped under the debris." BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, also commented on the incident, highlighting that "A 5-storey building (illegally constructed) has collapsed at Hazari Mollah Bagan; Garden Reach; Metiabruz, KMC Ward No. 134."