Noida: Ten labourers and a four-year-old girl were injured when the roof slab of a godown under construction collapsed on them in Balaji Dharmakanta lane in Sahibabad, triggering a rescue operation that stretched over more than three hours into the night. Police have registered an FIR against the owner and the contractor.According to cops, parts of the godown’s roof were still wet as workers were working on one section around 6.30 pm on Monday when the slab gave way. Debris, iron mesh and rods trapped the workers and the child who had accompanied her parents, both workers, to the site.Chief fire officer (CFO) Saurabh Singh said more than 50 firemen were called in for the rescue operation along with personnel from three police stations. The operation, which began at 7.50 pm, ended by 11 pm after the last person was pulled out.Ambulances were called in, and injured workers were given first aid on the spot before being taken to Narinder Mohan Hospital & Heart Centre, about 5 km away, in ambulances, fire service vehicles and police vehicles. All of the injured are stable.A senior police officer said the contractor, Riyaz, allegedly built the roof slab without proper support or a beam, causing it to collapse. The FIR, registered on a complaint by sub-inspector Kulwant Singh, states that Vipul Kumar, the godown owner, and Riyaz ignored structural safety and were negligent, which led to the roof collapse.“Initial investigation also revealed that no proper safety equipment was given to the workers. We are now investigating how the incident took place,” trans-Hindon DCP Rijual said. Vipul and Riyaz have been booked under BNS sections 290 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, repairing or constructing buildings) and 125 (b) (acts endangering life or personal safety of others).The injured were identified as Ramu (36) from Farukhabad, Vicky (36) and Taufiq (25), both from Delhi, Mujahid (28) from Bihar, his wife Madhepuja Khatoon (26) and their four-year-old daughter Nagma. Veerpal (25), Bhole (19) and Jeetendra (20) are from Sambhal, Shree Ram (39) from Panna in Madhya Pradesh and Roshan Sharma (35) from Kannauj.
