3 killed, 10 hurt in Dongri collapse

Buildings across the city are falling like ninepins while civic authorities try and figure out where the fault lies

Sandeep Ashar & Poornima Swaminathan

After a portion of an under-construction building collapsed in Chandivili on Sunday evening, another building in Dongri caved in on Monday killing three and injuring 10 people.

The rear portion of Good Hope, a four-storey 70-year-old building at Nishanpada, gave away, with cement slabs and rubble falling on sari workers living on the extended terrace of the neighbouring building. This is the fifth building collapse in August.

The three killed - Shehzada Khan, 17, Mukeem Khan, 18, and Salman Khan, 15 - were asleep in a room when the incident occurred. Ten other workers who shared the 400 sqft tenement were trapped under the rubble. They are now being treated at the JJ Hospital.
A fire brigade official said the toilet on the third floor caved in taking with it the rear portion of the other two floors. None among the 29 tenants living in the building were injured as the rubble fell on the adjoining building.

BMC officials blamed MHADA authorities for not taking action against the landlord and the building residents for making illegal changes in the building. Assistant Municipal Commissioner SY Gadkari said a mezzanine floor was illegally built above the three floors.

"We had notified the landlord of the building and the MHADA authorities about the illegal construction," he said. "Mezzanine floors built by other tenants burdened the structural members. In fact, we had demolished the illegal lofts in May."

MHADA officials, however, denied the allegation. Ravindra Karkhanis, deputy chief engineer of the Mumbai Building Repair and Reconstruction Board (MBRRB) said, "Our job is restricted to undertaking repairs and reconstruction of the building. BMC should have demolished the illegal construction."

And for the delay in the repair work, he blamed the residents. "Bashir Patel, the local MLA had allotted Rs1 lakh from his fund for the building's repair in 2005. But no work could be done because of infighting among the tenants," he said.

BP Shirvalkar, executive engineer (MBRRB), said, "Illegal constructions may have eroded the building's foundation. For now, we are propping the structure. After demolishing the dangerous portion of the building, a structural engineer will be appointed to ascertain the stability of the building. We will pull the building down if it is beyond economical repairs."

An officer from the Dongri police station said they were trying to find out who carried out the illegal constructions. Owner Abdul Rashid Navrodiya has told the police that he was unaware of the illegal constructions. "We are recording the statements of the 29 tenants to find out who ordered the illegal construction. Once that is done, action will be taken against the guilty," said Prakash Boparai, senior police inspector.

Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak has set up a panel headed by Chief Engineer (building proposal) AT Shintre to look into the reasons behind the collapse. "If the committee finds someone guilty, we will penalise him," Phatak said.

Although MHADA has allotted temporary accommodation for the 29 tenants of the building at Vinoba Bhave Nagar in Kurla, no alternative accommodation has been given to those affected in the neighbouring building. A compensation of Rs1 lakh from the chief minister's relief fund will be given to families of the dead, said Karkhanis.