Mustafabad building collapse: "This is congested area, facing difficulties...." says DIG NDRF

New Delhi [India], April 19 (ANI): As many as 12 people are still feared trapped under the debris after a multi-storey building collapsed in Delhi's Mustafabad area on Saturday morning. Four people were killed in the incident. An official of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) highlighted the challenges of the rescue operation and said that the area is congested.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) NDRF Mohsen Shahedi told ANI, "According to information received from locals, around 12 people are still trapped. Our NDRF team and other agencies are engaged in rescue work. This is a congested area and we are facing difficulties in the movement of heavy machinery; we hope we will be able to save lives..."
Meanwhile, Delhi Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht on Saturday announced that appropriate compensation will be provided to the family of the deceased after four people were killed in the Mustafabad area, where a multi-storey building collapsed earlier in the day.
Bisht, an MLA from Mustafabad, told ANI that such incidents have "exposed" the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and claimed that he had forwarned about the possibility of an accident during his recent visit to the area.

After visiting the spot, he said, "Three months ago, when I won the elections, I was in this area. I had said at that time that this building could cause an accident. I have told the Delhi LG (VK Saxena) and MCD commissioner that action should be taken against the officials for their negligence".
He alleged that many accident-prone buildings are in Mustafabad and said power companies are not supplying electricity to the poor.
"Appropriate compensation will be provided to the family of the deceased... The entire Mustafabad is full of buildings that can cause harm. Buildings have been constructed illegally. The power companies are not providing power connections to the poor, but there are electric poles inside the houses... MCD and such departments are drenched in corruption, and this incident has exposed them...," Bisht said.
Sandeep Lamba, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) North East District, told ANI that the incident took place at 3 am.
"Fourteen people were rescued, but four among them succumbed...It was a four-storey building...The rescue operation is underway. 8-10 people are still feared trapped," he said.
Rajendra Atwal, Divisional Fire Officer, told ANI that they received a call regarding a house collapse around 2:50 am."We reached the spot and found out that the entire building has collapsed and people are trapped under the debris...NDRF, Delhi Fire Service are working to rescue the people...," he said. (ANI)