Death in Pune ceiling slab collapse: ‘Still in shock… spoke with them just an hour before’

Stanley, 54, worked for a boat engine company in Oman’s Muscat and was on a brief holiday to Pune with his family, visiting his brother at their old home. On Monday evening, his wife and daughter were shopping on M G Road when the incident occurred.

According to the family and their friends, the house was in a state of disrepair due to a long-running standoff with the landlord over carrying out repair work. (Express photo by Shubham Tigga)

“My uncle comes from Oman every year on vacation with his family to stay with us and we go for outings. We had just returned from Shimla and Manali,” Jessica, the daughter of 60-year-old Jerry, said. Jerry’s son-in-law Clint Salins said, “My father-in-law has a head injury, a blood clot in the brain, and a crack in the spine. He is still unaware that Stanley has passed away.”

The Indian Express visited the house on Tuesday and found that a part of the ceiling had caved in, with wooden beams left hanging and a pile of debris on the ground. According to the family and their friends, the house was in a state of disrepair due to a long-running standoff with the landlord over carrying out repair work. “The family has been staying here for decades now and for the last four years, it has become difficult with water leakage, especially during heavy rains,” Salins said.

Shahnawaz Khan, a relative, said, “The case for the ownership and tenancy rights has been going on for the last 35 years in the Bombay High Court. Although we have been staying here for the last century, the rule is we have to take permission from the owner of the house to do any repairs.”

Stanley D’souza died and Jerry D’souza was left with severe injuries, including “a crack in the spine”, after a slab on the ceiling collapsed. (Express photo by Shubham Tigga)

Salins said, “We sought permission for repairs and even complained to the police recently. A Cantonment Board official came for an inspection but nothing happened after that.”

According to Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) officials, there are more than 100 such old buildings in the area, including on Dastur Meher Road, Bhimpura Lane, M G Road and Old Modikhana. “Eviction notices have been issued by the board as most of the buildings have been constructed decades ago and are unsafe. However, due to ongoing disputes between landlords and tenants, many do not vacate the properties,” an official said.

Subrat Pal, CEO, PCB, said surveys had been conducted in the past to identify such structures that can be potentially unsafe, and eviction notices issued. “We will take up an audit on priority in the next 2-3 days and take stern action, if necessary,” Pal said.

Senior Inspector Shashikant Chavan, in-charge of the Lashkar police station, said, “We have registered a case of accidental death pending investigation into the causes. Our investigation will try to establish whether there was negligence on anyone’s part that caused the accident.”

“We had written to the engineering department of the Cantonment Board asking them to do an assessment of the old and dilapidated buildings in our area of jurisdiction. We had suggested that notices be sent to the owners and tenants of these buildings,” Rohit Ranpise of the Cantonment Board fire brigade said.