Leaning factory wall collapses on houses in Kolkata slum, injures residents

A 10-foot factory wall collapsed onto two adjoining houses in Shirish Chandra Chowdhury Lane in Kolkata’s Tala area, injuring four people around 2:00 AM on Monday. At the time of the incident, family members were asleep when a loud noise woke them up. The roof of the houses caved in under the impact of the falling wall. Five people rushed out of the two homes, narrowly escaping more serious harm.

Local sources said the wall belonged to a factory adjacent to the houses. It had reportedly been leaning for a long time, and residents had warned the factory owner multiple times that the wall could collapse at any moment. Despite repeated requests, no repairs were undertaken. Following the incident, the injured were given primary treatment and later discharged from hospital.

Residents have now demanded urgent repairs to their damaged homes and financial compensation. Councillor of Ward 5, Tarun Saha, stated that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) would repair the damaged houses, but made it clear that the factory owner must immediately rebuild the wall. He also warned that the factory would not be allowed to resume operations unless the wall was reconstructed.