Owner did all to maximise profit
Amritpal Singh Sachdeva, the owner of the building which collapsed at Lalita Park in Lakshmi Nagar on Monday evening, did not only have a criminal background, but he also exploited the space in the building to the maximum extent possible. Apart from the 55-odd rooms on five floors, he even rented out the space under the stairs. It is
imperative to note that out of all the 25 criminal cases registered against him, none pertained to illegal construction, and the last time a case was registered against him, accused of offences like robbery, cheating, excise violation, attempt to murder and receiving stolen property, was in 2003.
Minoti Haldar, a maid, who survived as she was at work but lost her children, said that apart from the 32 families of Bengalis and people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh who lived in the crammed “rooms”, there were also those who were charged to stay under the staircases. “He used to charge Rs 250 per month from those taking up an accommodation under the staircase,” said Minoti. She added that the space under the staircases on all the floors had been put up on rent. A wooden door and a partition would suffice for a “room”, she added.
In fact, Amritpal had constructed three or four cubicles on the terrace of the building and put them up for rent. “Each cubicle was rented out for Rs 300 per month. But such tenants were not allowed to keep their belongings,” she said.
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