Kolkata: The mandatory pre-construction soil tests were not carried out at the Taratala site, revealed an internal KMC investigation into the collapse of a warehouse being built there.A team from the structural engineering department at Jadavpur University will carry out soil tests once the steel and concrete debris is removed from the site. Sixteen people were killed and 17 were rescued in the incident.The KMC’s investigation found out that the permission to build the three-storey warehouse was granted before the mandatory soil-testing report on the site was submitted. Also, the structural design was not documented during the construction work though a compulsory step for any project.Structural engineers from JU, whose help Kolkata Police sought to investigate the reason behind the collapse, will carry out the soil test, though it was supposed to be done before the construction started to evaluate the ground’s strength and stability. In such tests, experts check for the ground’s load-bearing capacity, meaning the weight the dirt can hold, soil type, whether it’s sand or clay, and the groundwater levels to ensure a safe foundation and rule out sinking or tilting of a structure on it.The JU team has collected the structure samples from the site and is testing them to see if inadequate or substandard construction materials were used. One of the experts said they were also waiting for documents to be handed by the police, including architectural, structural and sectional drawings of the warehouse, which would help them understand if a faulty design led to the instability and ultimate collapse.Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday announced a comprehensive relief package for the affected families, including financial assistance, employment support, free medical treatment and educational aid for the victims’ children besides handing over cheques of Rs 10 lakh to every bereaved family and Rs 1 lakh to every injured.
