6 dead in Kalyan tragedy: Flat owner carrying out tiles work arrested on charges of culpable homicide

On Tuesday afternoon, six people, including a one-and-a-half-year-old girl, were killed and at least six others were injured after a concrete slab came crashing down from the top floor of a ground-plus-four-storey residential building Saptashrungi Cooperative housing society in J ward’s Chiknipada area in Kalyan (East).

The structure was evacuated after the mishap and families were shifted to a shelter in a nearby school. The deceased were identified as Sushila Gujjar (78), Namsvi Shrikant Shelar (1.5), Venkat Chavan (32), Sunita Sahu (38), Pramila Sahu (56) and Sujata Padi (32). One-and-a-half-year-old Namasvi Shelar was the youngest of the victims.

Officials from Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) on Tuesday said a slab on the fourth floor of the building collapsed during internal repair works.

KDMC commissioner Abhinav Goel said, “As the slab on the fourth floor collapsed, it affected other floors… The left portion of the building collapsed in the impact, while the rest of the building remained intact. As soon as we received the information, we launched rescue operations.”

On the KDMC official’s complaint, the Kolsewadi police registered an FIR on Wednesday and arrested owner of flat 401 Krishna Chaurasia.

“Chaurasia knew that carrying out tile work could be dangerous and could prove fatal as the building was not in good shape. Despite this, he continued the work leading to the tragedy. Hence, we have arrested him on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. He was produced before the court and sent to police custody till May 26,” said Ganesh Nhayade, senior inspector of Kolsewadi police station.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased.

The building was part of a cluster complex, located in a congested area surrounded by slums. According to Goel, the building was nearly 25-years-old and instructions had been given to conduct structural audit in the past as a part of the routine pre-monsoon drive.

“Ahead of monsoon, we direct all the buildings to conduct a structural audit. This building, too, was issued a notice for the same,” added the KDMC commissioner.

This season, at least 513 buildings have been identified as dangerous and high-risk prone in the KDMC jurisdiction.