The area where the incident took place is in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC)’s ward no 134 which is part of the Kolkata Port Assembly constituency from where mayor of the civic body and urban development minister Firhad Hakim is elected from in 2011.Admitting that the under-construction building was an illegal structure, Hakim said, “I have spoken to the chief minister and we will give Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 1 lakh for to each injured person.”According to locals, who were the first responders, concrete chunks fell from the building before it collapsed. Residents were awakened by a loud noise around 12:20 am on Monday, emerging to find thick dust shrouding the area. The debris fell on nearby shanties in the densely populated area, they said.”Those who were trapped were screaming for help. We were in a state of shock. We had no option left other than remaining spectators as we did not have the tools to remove the ruins and rescue the injured. Police and fire brigade personnel arrived after 30 minutes,” said a local resident.The locals alleged that the building was being constructed by filling up a waterbody, which is illegal according to the rules laid down by the civic body authorities.”Many highrises are being constructed in the area illegally by filling up water bodies. Similar mishap is waiting to take place in other constructions,” stated another local resident residing in close proximity to the collapsed building.Meanwhile, the leader of opposition in Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, accused the state administration responsible for the tragedy. “The incident took place in the turf of mayor and minister Firhad Hakim. Since the TMC gained control of the KMC, more than 5,000 waterbodies have been illegally filled up and converted within the KM area itself. Clear collusion between local councillors, promoters and local police, under the aegis of top TMC leaders, can be easily witnessed when such water bodies are filled up without facing any legal and administrative hassles. More than 800 such illegal constructions exist in the Garden Reach area itself,” said Adhikari.
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