The collapse of the Ruby residency, on January 4, last year in Canacona not only took 31 lives. In its debris lay the rotten truth of how builders connive with officials of urban and town planning bodies to cut corner, flout rules to clear projects where basic safety is an easy sacrifice. Sadly, very poor labourers paid for with their lives while the builders are fled to England on their British passports. TEAM HERALD looks back at the shocking tragedy on the first anniversary of what is known as the Ruby Residency disaster
When 31 workers were resting after lunch at about 2 pm inside a building under construction at Ruby Residency in Chaudi-Canacona on January 4, 2014, little did they realise that their lives would come to a sudden and gruesome end under the very structure they had helped build.
The Ruby Residency tragedy, which was perhaps the worst disaster of this sort in post-Liberation Goa, witnessed unprecedented search, rescue and recovery operations for over two weeks in the State’s southern-most taluka.
The five-storeyed building in the final stages of construction collapsed like a pack of cards, at about 2.05 pm and many labourers who were taking their afternoon nap were immediately buried under the debris.
By the time the State administration reacted, locals volunteered to rescue and evacuated over 35 people to safety. Canacona Fire Station officials reached the site by 2.30 pm and took charge, mobilising reinforcements from Margao, Curchorem, Ponda and as far as the Fire Force Headquarters in Panjim.
The next day, a 75-member National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team reached the site with various equipments. The skilled personnel, dog squad and equipment were crucial in the search and rescue operations.
Then chief minister Manohar Parrikar personally supervised the operations, which also included the services of the Fire & Emergency Services, Army personnel and NDFR. The tragedy was immediately declared a ‘State Disaster’.
As the rescue and search operations continued, the army personnel left the site on January 6, leaving the charge exclusively to NDFR team. Then a special crane was specially requisitioned from Pune to crush and remove the debris from the collapsed building.
Besides the NDRF and fire services personnel, other agencies involved in search, rescue and recovery operations included the Army, and other government agencies, while locals had also played in crucial role in pulling out a number of workers buried under the rubble.
Search and rescue operations for survivors and dead were officially called off on January 14, after a total of 31 dead bodies were extricated from under the debris.
Nine government officials, including Canacona Municipality’s present and past chief officers, municipal engineers, previous Canacona deputy town planner and draftsman were suspended and arrested for dereliction of their duties, while a contractor of the Ruby Residency project was also arrested. At present, all are out on bail, and two of the three arrested ex-civic officials have even been reinstated with new administrative postings.
The investigative agencies are, however, yet to nab the two builders of Bharat Developers & Realtors, the owners of Ruby Residency building.
The tragedy also added to the anxiety of several hundred other investors, who were not linked to the ill-fated Ruby Residency complex.
The government immediately set up the Jha Commission to probe into the Ruby Residency tragedy and to spell out measures to avoid similar incidents in future.
Although the Jha Commission submitted its findings to the government, the report is yet to be made public. As investigating agencies were on the trail of two absconding directors of Bharat Developers & Realtors Pvt Ltd, the company then divested the two directors, Jagdeep Kumar Sehgal and Pradip Singh Birring, of their positions and appointed two new directors.
