Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Maharashtra) [India], June 12 (ANI): Two people have died near the renowned Siddharth Garden in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district (formerly Aurangabad) after the collapse of a structure at the entry gate of a building, following strong winds, officials said, adding that the incident occurred on Wednesday evening.

In a separate incident, one woman was injured after a tree uprooted and fell on her in Bhagat Singh Nagar.

According to Municipal Commissioner G Sreekanth, three people have died in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in two separate incidents due to very strong winds followed by light rainfall.

'Around 6-6.30 pm this evening, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar experienced very strong winds and light rainfall. Due to this, two incidents occurred in the city. In Bhagat Singh Nagar, a woman was critically injured after a tree uprooted and fell on her. She is under treatment at a private hospital,' the Municipal Commissioner told reporters here.

Sreekanth further informed about another incident, where two people were killed near Siddharth Garden after the fall of a structure at the entry point of a building, which also injured two others.

'Near Siddharth Garden, a structure at the entry point collapsed and fell on two people standing there. They died, and two others were injured. The injured are under treatment at a government hospital,' he said.

The Municipal Commissioner said that it was the job of the BOT operator to ensure that buildings constructed under the Build-Operate-Transfer model are regularly maintained.

'As per the preliminary information, the building was constructed under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model that requires timely and regular maintenance, which is the responsibility of the BOT operator,' Sreekanth added.

He further informed that the families of the deceased victims would be granted ex gratia sum of Rs 5 lakh, and the civic body would conduct a special structural audit of 'loose buildings' within the next seven days.

'We have informed about registering an FIR against the officials concerned. The bereaved families will be provided with a compensation of Rs 5 lakh. Not just this building, but other loose buildings will also be assessed, and a special audit will be done within the next seven days. After seven days, it will be decided whether entry (of visitors) is to be allowed,' Sreekanth said.

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Pravin Pawar said, 'Once any officer of the Municipal Corporation gives a complaint regarding the Siddharth Garden incident, we will register an offence and take further action against the people concerned.' (ANI)