Life in Connaught Place stands still with all shops closed

A day after the roof and front wall of a building fell off in Connaught Place, the entire C-Block wore a deserted look. While shops located in immediate vicinity to the now hollow structure were sealed after the incident, owners still do not have a sense of the loss their stores suffered, as they were not allowed to open shop since.

They claimed that the authorities must own up to the responsibility for their loss of business on a daily basis. The area is looked after by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

Vaishalik Jain who is the owner of Jain Book Store (situated on ground floor) said, "Our shop is 80-years-old. My grandfather had set up the store. My father used to sit here everyday. We have emotional attachment to this property. However, sadly, we don't even know how much damage the inside of the shop has suffered from the collapse, as we were not allowed to open the shop after the incident took place in the wee hours on Thursday."

Even as workers are still lifting debris from the corridor, Jain and others wonder when they will be able to have a look at their shops and get to know the condition inside.

Jain, further said, "Besides the damage, the enormity of which we still don't know of, we are suffering heavy losses in business everyday that we are not being able to open the shops. The NDMC officials visited the site and left. They have not given us any information about how much time it will take before we can get back to business. They are issuing licenses to new restaurants almost on a daily basis, which are burdening the rooftops and the structures altogether. They must coordinate with traders to ascertain the load a buiding can take."

He added, that the police have still not traced the tenant who was responsible for the property.

"The new restaurateur's deal was furnished only a few days ago, and after that, this incident took place," said Jain.

Meanwhile, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has constituted five-member team including an expert from IIT-Delhi to investigate the reasons behind the collapse.

"So far the major reasons include old building structure and excess load on the rooftop including water tanks, generator sets and other equipment. The building owners have been asked to provide a structural stability certificate," said a senior official.

The team will be looking after aspects such as fire safety, strength and stress on the structure.

"The building is around 80 years old. The light, electricity, sewerage systems will be checked for any internal leakage. We keep sending notices to the owners for not allowing heavy tanks and DG sets to be placed above, but they have been violating the set norms risking their own safety as well as the safety of thousands of people who visit the place," the official said. During the Commonwealth Games in 2010, the entire area was dug up for the restoration work of the inner, outer and middle circles. The place built as a commercial centre in 1930s had only 350 units. Today, it has 2500 units. Its structures are crumbling under the burden of all of these stores, said traders.

"The metro built a tunnel here, and the place was dug up for laying new lines. There is leakage in many structures which weaken the walls. The civic body must look into these aspects, and not treat the collapse as an isolated incident," said, a trader who owns an apparel store in B-block.