Heavy machine work by PWD leads to Gorakhpur house collapse; family sleeps in field

Gorakhpur (UP), Oct 12 (PTI) Alleged negligence of the Public Works Department in Gorakhpur led to collapse of a house, forcing a family of 12 to spend the night in a nearby field.

The incident took place on Saturday evening at Jagdishpur Tola area, where the PWD was carrying out road widening and drain excavation work using machines.

Ram Gopal Gupta, whose house collapsed, said that he had warned the contractor and engineers against using heavy machinery close to his house as it was causing vibrations.

"I requested them to dig manually, but they ignored me. Moments later, the front portion of my house came crashing down," he said.

The family of 12, including women and children, has been forced to live in the open.

"We spent the night on cots in the field. The stove hasn't been lit since the collapse. This morning, we fed the children chips and biscuits," said Ram Gopal's daughter-in-law Shobha Gupta.

His grand daughter Shreya, a Class 12 student, recalled the terrifying moment when the structure fell while she was studying.

"Everyone ran outside screaming," she said.

PWD's junior engineer Shailesh Singh visited the site on Sunday afternoon and assured compensation after an inquiry. However, he did not clarity where the family would stay.

Locals gathered at the spot, accusing PWD officials of gross negligence. PTI COR ABN ABN RUK RUK