Bengaluru: Portion of multi-level car park collapses, two killed

BENGALURU: A portion of a multi-level car park being built at the Regulated Market Committee (RMC) Yard in Yeshwantpur collapsed early on Friday, killing two workers and injuring 10. A preliminary inquiry suggested that a pillar erected on loose soil gave way around 4.40 am, when the workers were sleeping, triggering the tragedy.
Some of those trapped under the debris managed to free themselves, while the rest were pulled out by the emergency teams, which concluded the search for survivors over four hours later.

The project contractor, Chandranna, and a site engineer were arrested under section 304A (causing death due to negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. According to witnesses, Chandranna offered to help the injured after they informed him about the collapse in the first desperate phone calls from the site, but he never showed up.
Government officials told TOI that Chandranna had failed to obtain the labour department’s licence to employ workers at the site, and he was issued at least five notices for this infraction. This raises the question: why was he still allowed to construct? The RMC had awarded him the contract, and up to three floors of the planned 10-storey public car park have been built.
The deceased were identified as Rahul Goswami, 19, from West Bengal, and Rakesh Singh, 21, from Bihar. About 70 people reportedly worked at the site, but only 12 slept inside the under-construction structure. Two of the 10 injured, admitted in a private hospital, are in a critical condition, according to police.
Abdul Hameed Sheik, who sustained injuries, recounted the moment the collapse occurred. “Three of us were sleeping on the first floor, while the rest were on the ground floor. I woke up to a loud noise, but I could not see anything. There was a cloud of dust around us,” he said. “We then realised a section of the second floor had collapsed.”
Sheik said the centering work on the second floor was completed only on Thursday evening.
The workers who managed to crawl out from under the rubble rang up Chandranna. “We told him what had happened, and he assured us that he would be at the spot in 10 minutes. He didn’t turn up. We tried calling him, but his mobile was switched off,” another labourer said. “Cops from RMC Yard station and men from nearby shops took us to the hospital.”
Deputy police commissioner (North) N Shashikumar confirmed the arrests.