NOIDA: A two-storey house collapsed onto a road in Greater Noida’s Tilpata village on Thursday after excavation work for a drain was carried out nearby.Fortunately, the house was unoccupied at the time of the incident, and no pedestrians or vehicles were passing by, preventing what could have been a major tragedy.The incident occurred on Sakipur Road under the Surajpur police station area.According to officials, the house, owned by Omveer, came crashing down shortly after a JCB machine removed soil from the adjoining drain under construction.The collapse also brought down a nearby electricity pole, adding to the impact of the incident.Residents said the loud noise of the collapse sent people rushing out of their homes.CCTV cameras installed nearby captured the dramatic moment the building gave way and fell onto the road, bringing down a couple of electricity lines as well.Authorities said Omveer and his family were currently living in another house, leaving the collapsed building vacant. This proved to be a stroke of luck, as no one was inside when the structure gave way.According to Greater Noida Authority officials, the house had been illegally constructed over the retaining wall of the drain.They claimed the owner had already been instructed to vacate and remove the structure before construction of the new drain began.A senior official of the Greater Noida Authority said the building stood on top of the drain and had been built without authorization.He added that the owner had been asked to clear the structure before the drain work commenced, which is why the house was vacant at the time of the collapse.Assistant commissioner of police Rajeev Kumar and station house officer Umesh Naithani reached the spot with police teams soon after the incident.Police said the contractor carrying out the excavation and the property owner reached a mutual settlement following the collapse.Since neither party filed a formal complaint, no police case has been registered.Officials are expected to review the circumstances surrounding the incident, which has once again highlighted concerns over illegal constructions and structural safety during infrastructure projects.
