New Delhi, Oct 9: Two days after a four-story building collapsed in north Delhi’s Seemapuri, claiming at least five lives, including two children, action was taken against illegal constructions in the area on Friday.

The demolition drive was carried out by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), on the orders of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, against those constructions which were built in violation of government guidelines.

The action was part of a drive against unauthorised constructions in the area.

Speaking to media, DCP, Shahdara District, Rajendra Prasad Meena said: “A nearby building had already been declared dangerous. When the building collapsed, a portion of it struck the neighbouring building and fell, damaging its balcony and walls. The MCD issued a notice to the owner today and gave two hours for its complete demolition…we have provided police security to facilitate the operation.”

He added that a case has been registered in connection with Wednesday’s incident, and that a search is underway for the owner of the collapsed building.

“The owner is currently absconding,” the police officer said.

Meanwhile, those who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday have been identified as a 12-year-old girl, 21-year-old Gulafsa, who was around four months pregnant, a child aged around one-and-a-half years, and two others named Nusrat alias Guria and Hajra Bibi, officials said.

Eight people injured in the collapse were rescued and shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Tahirpur for treatment.

DCP Meena further said that a rescue operation at the site had concluded by 2 p.m. on Thursday.

The building collapse in Seemapuri occurred a month after a similar incident in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area claimed seven lives, including that of five students.

The building in Satya Niketan housed a paying guest accommodation and mostly had students enrolled at Delhi University.

Following the tragedy, the MCD had then initiated demolition of “dilapidated” buildings in various parts of the national capital, as part of a drive to identify unauthorised and unsafe structures.

Hyderabad, Oct 9: Licences of shops selling prohibited synthetic manja must be cancelled, Telangana’s Head of Forest Force, Vinay Kumar, on Friday directed officials.

He asked officials to take stringent measures to curb the sale and use of synthetic manja and protect Indian rollers and other wildlife.

He was speaking at a review meeting with senior officials of various government departments held at Aranya Bhavan here on Friday to discuss these issues.

As synthetic manja is being supplied from other States, particularly Rajasthan and Gujarat, Vinay Kumar instructed officials to intensify surveillance on supplies originating from these States.

He directed Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials to issue instructions to shop owners not to sell synthetic manja and to take stringent action against those violating the rules.

According to an official release, the Head of Forest Force instructed the police to establish special surveillance to prevent the sale of Chinese manja through online platforms.

He emphasised the need to identify sales of synthetic manja on e-commerce websites and coordinate with the concerned organisations to curb such sales.

He also instructed officials to put up posters at all public places, including bus stations, railway stations, markets and other crowded locations, to create public awareness about the ban on synthetic manja.

Vinay Kumar stated that the School Education Department should create awareness among students and their parents about the dangers posed by the use of Chinese manja to human beings and birds.

He further instructed officials to advise bus drivers and conductors to inform the Forest Department helpline if they identify the illegal transportation of synthetic manja or the transportation of Indian rollers and other wildlife on buses.

During the meeting, it was brought to notice that voluntary organisations had lodged complaints regarding the use of Chinese manja at the Kite Festival organised by the Tourism Department.

The Head of Forest Force instructed officials to ensure that synthetic manja was not permitted under any circumstances at this year’s festival and that any synthetic manja identified should be confiscated immediately.

Vinay Kumar directed officials to take measures to prevent Indian rollers from being kept in cages for display at Durga pandals. He instructed Endowments Department officials to ensure that these directions were implemented at all temples. He emphasised that all departments should work in coordination to protect wildlife.

CCFs Priyanka Varghese and Kshitija, CF Prasad, and senior officials from the Police, GHMC, HMDA, School Education, Cinematography, Information and Public Relations, Electricity, Pollution Control Board and Tourism departments, along with officials from other departments, participated in the meeting.

Patna, Oct 9: Candidates of the Bihar Police driver recruitment drive intensified their protest in Patna on Friday, demanding that more than 1,200 posts earmarked for women, which they claim have remained vacant, be filled with eligible male candidates from the respective categories.

The candidates had planned to march towards the Chief Minister’s residence to press their demands. However, police personnel intervened before the proposed march could begin.

Barricades were erected at Gate No. 10, and a large number of security personnel were deployed inside Gandhi Maidan and the surrounding areas.

The protesters alleged they had obtained permission to hold a peaceful sit-in, organise a Kalash Yatra and take out a march, but the administration prevented them from proceeding with their planned programme.

According to the candidates, the protest was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. with a sit-in at Gandhi Maidan, followed by a Kalash Yatra and a march from Gate No. 10 to Dakbungalow Crossing.

The candidates said more than 1,200 posts reserved for women in the driver recruitment process had remained vacant. They urged the authorities to consider filling these vacancies with eligible male candidates from the respective categories in accordance with the applicable recruitment rules.

They say that this would prevent the posts from remaining unfilled and provide employment opportunities to other qualified applicants.

Radhe Shyam Kumar, one of the protesting candidates, said they had been staging a sit-in at Gardanibagh for several days. He described the difficulties of continuing the agitation, adding that his family had questioned why he was spending time protesting instead of studying.

He maintained that candidates needed to raise their voices to secure their rights. He reiterated the demand that posts remaining vacant after the allocation of seats to female candidates should be considered eligible for male applicants.

He also cited the recruitment process for Sub-Inspectors, arguing that a similar provision should be considered for the driver recruitment drive.

Despite the police barricades and the deployment of security personnel, candidates continued to gather near Gate No. 10 of Gandhi Maidan. The protesters maintained that they intended to put forward their demands peacefully.