Kolkata, March 3 – A portion of a 150-year-old house on Park Street in central Kolkata collapsed on Tuesday morning, causing alarm in the neighborhood.
No injuries were reported as the building was unoccupied at the time of the incident.
However, the collapse of the building has left local residents in a state of panic.
Residents said the structure had weakened after the earthquake that struck the city on February 27. According to locals, part of the roof gave way without warning.
With Monday being a holiday for Dol Yatra, there was little activity in the area, which likely prevented injuries and casualties.
Neighbors pointed out that the building had not undergone repairs for years and had fallen into disrepair. They believe the recent tremors further damaged its already fragile structure.
Many could not understand how the incident happened. Locals said that the house is at least 150 years old. It is believed that a part of it has become completely dilapidated due to a lack of renovation for a long time.
The police from the Park Street station reached the site soon after receiving information and secured the area.
Incidents of old houses collapsing have occurred in the city before, raising concerns about the upkeep of ageing buildings. It has also raised concerns about the safety of the people living in such dilapidated buildings.
Though the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has conducted awareness drives on structural safety at regular intervals, many such properties remain unattended, and the residents are not taking up the repair works despite their dangerous condition.
In a separate incident on Monday, a concrete slab collapsed beneath the Central Park Metro station in Salt Lake, causing brief panic among commuters and motorists. There were no reports of any injuries in the incident.
Repair work began shortly after, though Metro authorities did not issue a detailed statement on the matter.