Bokaro: The district administration on Saturday initiated an inquiry into the collapse of a portion of a dilapidated residential block in Sector 12E of Bokaro Steel City. Deputy commissioner Ajay Nath Jha directed Chas sub-divisional officer Prajal Dhanda to conduct the probe and submit a report within three days.“Directives have been given to assess the condition of the collapsed structure, identify the possible reasons behind the incident and examine the circumstances leading to it,” Jha said.No occupants were injured in Friday’s collapse. However, the incident has once again raised concerns over the safety of ageing residential quarters, with residents fearing similar incidents in other occupied buildings declared unsafe by Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL).A total of 169 BSL residential blocks, comprising 1,263 apartments, have been declared unsafe for habitation. Many of these apartments continue to be occupied.“We are scared to stay here now,” said Vijay Kumar, a Sector 12E resident.Another resident, Pankaj Kumar, said, “We have been living here for years, but after this incident, every crack and unusual sound makes us nervous.”Manikant Dhan, chief of communication at BSL, said similar partial collapses had occurred earlier in residential areas, including Sectors 12 and 6.“BSL had undertaken a structural safety audit through experts from NIT Patna, engaged via NBCC. Following the inspections, 169 residential blocks were found unsafe for habitation,” he said.Dhan said the PSU had repeatedly issued notices to occupants through various channels to make them aware of the risks, but the efforts had not yielded results.Urging residents of unsafe quarters to relocate without delay, Dhan said BSL had set up a task force to assist them in shifting out of the buildings.The district administration has also directed the BSL town administration to identify other damaged and dilapidated buildings and prepare a detailed status report under the supervision of the additional collector.
