Several incidents of building collapse took place in the city, leading citizens, including pedestrians, to fear for their lives.

Series of building collapses, mostly portions of the structures, in the city last night have left citizens to worry for their life while residents in several of such buildings continue to reside inside the precarious structures due to lack of renovation which can be attributed to mainly legal tussles between tenants and owners.

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A portion of a fourth floor four storied dilapidated building at J.N Avenue, under the jurisdiction of the Burtalla police station, collapsed at around 3.20 p.m. yesterday leaving one person grievously injured. The injured, Binde Muthia (22), a labour, received head and left leg injuries and have been admitted R.G Kar Medical College& Hospital where he is undergoing treatment.

The structure is within ward 18 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). Adding to this, a portion of a cornice of another building at the above mentioned place, collapsed but none were reported injured.

Meanwhile, last night, a first floor balcony of a three-storied old dilapidated building at 139, Bidhan Sarani under Shyampukur police station, collapsed. No report of entrapment or injury surfaced from the incident. KMC personnel removed the debris. In a separate incident, a boundary wall measuring 35ft/40ft long and 8ft high, of Air Force Camp at 27 Ballygunge Circular Road, collapsed on the footpath. None were, however, reportedly injured.

These incidents of sudden collapses have caused worry among pedestrians who voiced common concerns “What if it falls on us? Monsoon is here and the buildings are collapsing like house of cards. The structures standing on the sides of main roads, are a bigger concern. Is there any insurance for us if we die in such incidents?”

Meanwhile, KMC officials have reiterated that the civic body has been constantly carrying out campaigns through hoardings and by other means, asking house owners to get their buildings repaired by KMC.

“Schemes have also been devised to provide atleast 100 per cent floor area ratio to owners and tenants of the dilapidated buildings, who would get them completely renovated by the civic body. Monsoon is the most vulnerable time for building collapses,” pointed out a KMC official.