Death toll in rly building collapse rises to seven

The death toll in the railway building collapse here has risen to seven, with the body of S S Dixit (53), a railway police constable, being removed from the debris in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Of those killed, three were railway police staffers, one parcel office staffer, one labourer and two citizens. Out of the 14 persons being treated in the hospital, three have received grievous injuries.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the spot and enquired about the health of the injured persons being treated at the Railway Central Hospital.

He announced a compensation of Rs two lakh from the State government to the families of each of the deceased and offered free treatment to the injured.

Siddaramaiah said, prima facie, the negligence of the Railways was seen, as the inspection by railway engineers on February 3 had found that the building was not fit for occupation.

“The condition of all the old buildings of the government in the State would be inspected and suitable steps taken to prevent such tragedies. The Railways should provide jobs to the kin of the deceased on compassionate grounds,” he said.

The Government Railway Police have started an investigation into the incident, registering two complaints.

Two teams under the supervision of Railway Superintendent of Police D Prakash are conducting the investigation. Prakash said that an injured person and the kin of a deceased person had lodged complaints, alleging negligence by railway officials.

“We will co-operate with the railway police in their probe. The railway police station and the parcel office were asked to shift from the old building and it collapsed unexpectedly, when the shifting was on,” Arun Kumar Jain, Divisional Railway Manager, said.