AHMEDABAD - Eight individuals, including three children, were injured during the Rath Yatra celebrations in Ahmedabad on Tuesday when a section of a second-floor balcony collapsed in the Dariyapur neighbourhood near Kadianaka. Despite concerns being raised in the past month about the structural integrity of houses along the Rath Yatra route, action was not taken, highlighting a serious oversight by the local administration.
The incident occurred as the Rath Yatra procession passed through the area. People sitting in a truck were distributing prasad to the devotees standing in the balcony of the house. According to local witnesses, the balcony slab suddenly gave way while people were receiving prasad, causing injuries to those in its path.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has come under scrutiny for its alleged negligence in this incident. According to local reports, despite the evident disrepair, the AMC's estate department had not issued a notice to the owners of the house near Kadianaka prior to the incident.
Upon the slab's collapse, AMC officials promptly arrived at the scene and publicly posted a notice. According to police sources, "The house near Kadianaka was old and part of its second-floor balcony suddenly fell, causing injuries to the people standing below. A total of eight people were injured, but luckily all suffered only minor injuries, and there were no fatalities."
The injured were immediately transported to the Civil Hospital for treatment. This incident has brought to light the urgent need for municipal authorities to address and rectify neglected infrastructural risks, especially during such crowded public events.
