New Delhi:
The building collapse in Delhi's Lakshmi Nagar area on Monday evening, that killed 66 people, has been the worst nightmare for the residents.
Shankari, a maid, is still hoping it is just a bad dream and she'll open her eyes to see her daughter Preeti by her side.
"My five-year-old daughter died, my brother in law pulled her out and took her to the hospital," she said.
Unfortunately, the nightmare is a reality for her and scores of others who lived in the building.
Joined in her grief by hundreds of other residents, Shankari is now waiting for news on the rest of her family.
"We can't find my brother and even my sister," Shankari said.
She same to Delhi as a child from Murshidabad in West Bengal, followed her mother and became a domestic help.
Like her, most of the residents of this building worked as domestic helps or daily wage workers, forced to settle for rooms here at Rs 2000-3000 a month.
Mohd and Shakur lived on the terrace of the building with 11 others from Bihar, who worked as construction workers. Two are dead and seven missing.
"We work as construction workers. We came here for work to fill our stomachs," they said.
A flurry of VIP visitors like Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Shiila Dikshit and others, has done little to console the grieving families. Dikshit announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
"People are naturally very unhappy, they are crying. Many of their relatives are being looked for and everything is being noted here. They have been taken to the hospital," Dikshit said.
The Delhi CM added, "Absolutely steps will be taken, we are going to call a meeting. This has happened because of the irresponsible behaviour of the builder."
The builder has now been arrested. He has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Residents of this building - all migrant workers - came from poverty infested states like West Bengal and Bihar hoping to earn a living and support their families. They all pay rents but find themselves living in rooms in unauthorised colonies like this one.