West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of each of the nine victims who died in the warehouse collapse in Kolkata's Taratala area, adding to the Rs 2 lakh already pledged by the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, and also offered Rs 1 lakh and medical treatment for the seriously injured, as he addressed the assembly following the incident that occurred on Wednesday, which also left 20 others injured, with some still in critical condition. During his speech, Adhikari criticized the previous Trinamool Congress government, pointing to alleged corruption in building plan sanctions and questioning their response to past disasters, while commending the efforts of the NDRF and Army in the current rescue operations, and declared a halt on all under-construction projects in the state until audit certificates are issued to ensure safety.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of each of the nine victims who died in the warehouse collapse in Kolkata's Taratala area, adding to the Rs 2 lakh already pledged by the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, and also offered Rs 1 lakh and medical treatment for the seriously injured, as he addressed the assembly following the incident that occurred on Wednesday, which also left 20 others injured, with some still in critical condition. During his speech, Adhikari criticized the previous Trinamool Congress government, pointing to alleged corruption in building plan sanctions and questioning their response to past disasters, while commending the efforts of the NDRF and Army in the current rescue operations, and declared a halt on all under-construction projects in the state until audit certificates are issued to ensure safety.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of each of the nine victims who died in the warehouse collapse in Kolkata's Taratala area, adding to the Rs 2 lakh already pledged by the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, and also offered Rs 1 lakh and medical treatment for the seriously injured, as he addressed the assembly following the incident that occurred on Wednesday, which also left 20 others injured, with some still in critical condition. During his speech, Adhikari criticized the previous Trinamool Congress government, pointing to alleged corruption in building plan sanctions and questioning their response to past disasters, while commending the efforts of the NDRF and Army in the current rescue operations, and declared a halt on all under-construction projects in the state until audit certificates are issued to ensure safety.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, while speaking in the assembly on Thursday, paid condolences to the families of the victims of the warehouse collapse in Kolkata's Taratala area. 

Adhikari announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of those killed in the tragedy, in addition to the Rs 2 lakh compensation announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

“Money cannot compensate for death. Accepting this, as a responsible government, I announce Rs 10 lakh for the families of the dead and Rs 1 lakh for the seriously injured apart from medical treatment,” the chief minister said.

The incident took place at around noon on Wednesday when the roof of the warehouse located on the Transport Depot Road near Brace Bridge in the Taratala area caved in, leaving nine people dead and 20 others injured.

Of the deceased, the bodies of five victims have been handed over to their families. Among the injured, one person remains in a very critical condition, while four others are reported to be critical. The remaining 15 injured persons are said to be out of danger.

The figures were confirmed by Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee, who had visited the accident site before attending the Assembly session.

Adhikari minced no words while hitting out at the erstwhile Trinamool Congress (TMC) government and former minister Akruzzaman, who now serves as the chief whip of the Ritabrata Banerjee faction in the assembly. He also displayed a sanction document signed by former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who has also switched over to the rebel TMC camp.

“You (TMC) have made the City of Joy a City of Death,” said Adhikari. The chief minister also questioned why the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army were not called in during the previous disasters in the state.

“You accuse us of doing politics, but what have you done?” Adhikari asked. Without naming anyone directly, he referred to the "Camac Street office"—widely seen as a reference to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee—and to Trinamool Bhawan, while alleging that bribes were routinely collected for the sanctioning of building plans during the previous regime.

Adhikari thanked the Army and the NDRF teams for the rescue efforts. He said four teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) worked through the night and continue to remain engaged in rescue operations. They are being assisted by Civil Defence Quick Response Teams (QRTs), including two QRT units comprising 26 personnel, which are also continuing their operations at the site.

Adhikari reiterated the government's decision to halt all under-construction projects till July 31. The decision is expected to leave several ongoing projects in the state stalled.

 “Until audit certificates are given, we will not allow any buildings to be touched. We will attach properties," the chief minister said.

Taking a swipe at former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari remarked, “Tu khich meri photo aur declare compensation” (“Click my picture and announce compensation”), in an apparent criticism of what he described as the previous government's approach to handling tragedies. He added, “This government will not compromise with people’s lives.”

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