Another building collapses in Chandigarh; some feared trapped

Chandigarh, July 4 (IANS) A building collapsed in Chandigarh’s Industrial Area Phase II on Saturday, officials said. Some people are feared to have been trapped in the debris. This is the second building collapse in the city in less than 24 hours.

Rescue and relief operations are underway, with heavy machinery being deployed to clear the debris. Rescuers are trying to locate and establish contact with people who may be trapped inside.

Officials said the building was used by a scrap dealer. “The construction of the building might be old, and that might be the reason for its caving in,” an official said, adding that “the area didn’t see any heavy spells of rainfall”.

A day earlier, the roof of the auditorium at Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology (CCET) in Sector 26 here collapsed. Fortunately, no one was inside the auditorium at the time of the incident.

The auditorium is a key government facility where vote count is conducted during elections. The Engineering Department had earlier assessed the structure of CCET College and declared it unsafe, ensuring that it remained unoccupied.

Following a detailed structural safety audit, the department sought further advice on structural stability and safety from Punjab Engineering College (PEC) as part of the prescribed procedure. The department had also begun the process of demolishing the unsafe structure.

“Immediately after the incident, the site was secured, and the entire area around the building was cordoned off to prevent public access,” a Chandigarh administration press release had said.

The latest collapse in Industrial Area Phase II has raised serious concerns about the safety of ageing buildings across Chandigarh, particularly in commercial and industrial zones. Residents and business owners in the area have expressed alarm over the deteriorating condition of several structures, many of which were constructed decades ago without adequate maintenance or periodic structural audits.

According to officials familiar with the matter, the building that collapsed on Saturday was not covered under any recent structural safety inspection, as the administration’s focus had been primarily on government buildings and educational institutions following the earlier CCET incident. The scrap dealer who operated from the premises reportedly used the ground floor for storing metal and other materials, while the upper floors had remained vacant for several years.

Fire and emergency services teams reached the spot within minutes of receiving the alert and launched a coordinated rescue operation in collaboration with the local police and municipal authorities. Sniffer dogs have been deployed to help locate any survivors trapped beneath the rubble. Ambulances remain on standby at the site to provide immediate medical assistance to anyone rescued.

–IANS

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