A fatal collapse of an under-construction warehouse in Taratala has claimed five lives and injured several others, with 12-15 people still believed to be trapped under the debris. According to PTI, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a comprehensive suspension of all construction activities within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area until July 31 after visiting the accident site. The workers were engaged in construction work when the roof of the five-storey steel-framed structure collapsed, with around 50 to 60 labourers working at the site when the incident occurred. As reported by PTI, Adhikari stated that preliminary findings indicated there were flaws in the sanctioned design of the structure, which was sanctioned by the previous government on January 17. The warehouse structure had received approval from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation on January 17, with the land belonging to the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority (SMPA) and leased to a company identified as Behra Brothers, headed by Shambhunath Behra. According to PTI, Adhikari said that neither heavy rainfall nor soil conditions appeared to have caused the collapse, suggesting structural defects were the primary cause.
The West Bengal government has directed the KMC to conduct an audit of all under-construction commercial buildings in Kolkata and submit a detailed report. As reported by PTI, Adhikari stated that "Construction in all the houses or multi-storey buildings within the Kolkata municipal area approved by the previous regime, particularly those for commercial purposes or where construction work involves filling up water bodies, will remain suspended until July 31. Each of these will be audited." A multi-agency team comprising officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), Civil Defence, Fire and Emergency Services, Kolkata Police and KMC will inspect the projects and verify whether construction norms are being followed. According to PTI, the audit will be conducted under the guidance of the chief secretary and will examine site plans, building plans and conduct spot inspections before submitting its report. The audit exercise would subsequently be extended to the Howrah and Bidhannagar municipal areas, with the government announcing that similar audits and inspections will be extended to these areas.
The panel will conduct spot inspections and examine safety compliance, with special focus on commercial structures and buildings constructed over water bodies. According to PTI, the government has also indicated that building approvals and sanctions issued during the previous TMC administration will be reviewed as part of the audit process. The government will examine compliance with construction norms, structural safety standards and approval conditions, with special attention given to commercial projects and constructions undertaken on reclaimed water bodies. The move comes after the Taratala warehouse collapse raised concerns over construction safety standards and regulatory oversight in the city. Fire department teams received the first call at 12.20 pm and are following cries for help coming from under the debris while assuring trapped people they will be rescued soon. West Bengal Minister Indranil Khan told PTI that "We will definitely look into the causes of the accident and whether there were any irregularities. But right now, the priority is to rescue as many victims as possible."
The government has announced that similar audits and inspections will later be extended to the Howrah and Bidhannagar municipal areas. According to PTI, Adhikari stated that "The government will announce details regarding legal action and compensation for the victims' families in the Assembly on Thursday at 11 am." The comprehensive safety review represents a significant shift in construction oversight, with the government taking immediate action following one of Kolkata's most serious construction accidents. The CM alleged that several such warehouses had been approved during the previous regime through corrupt practices, stating "Everyone knows how such godowns were sanctioned in exchange for money. We will have to rectify things gradually." The government has also constituted a special committee under the supervision of the chief secretary to oversee the audit exercise, with the objective to ascertain whether all prescribed norms and safety regulations have been followed. However, construction work related to essential services such as hospitals and fire brigade infrastructure would not be affected by the suspension order.
A major rescue operation involving police, fire services, civil defence and Army personnel was conducted following the collapse. According to PTI, Adhikari said that several rescued workers did not require medical treatment as they had escaped without injuries, with four of the rescued workers sustaining serious injuries. Around 10 to 12 people are undergoing treatment at SSKM Hospital, with all of them being labourers. The CM defended the deployment of Army personnel and other specialised agencies for the rescue operation, stating "When you do not have the required machines to cut through concrete and steel structures or the necessary cranes, you have to seek assistance. We called in the Army, NDRF and other specialised agencies to speed up the rescue effort." The rescue operations continued late into the evening, with authorities verifying whether the victims were residents of West Bengal or had come from other states for work. Local MLA and former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim was reportedly stopped by the police from visiting the collapse site fearing backlash from locals, after which he went to the SSKM Hospital and enquired about the treatment of the injured people.
