Authorities stop clearing debris, survivors stand guard

The survivors, meanwhile, continue to stay put beside the remains of their houses, hoping that the debris will be cleared away soon. Some have even started “hijacking” removal vehicles to ensure that work on their buildings continues. Mayor Himmatsinh Patel said: “Everybody wants these machines to remove rubble. There have been instances of people taking them, despite their being allotted to another site.”

An agitated Haresh Mehta, chairman of Utsav Flats in Maninagar, said while vehicles and other heavy equipment were allotted to the building for the earlier, these have been taken elsewhere for the past two days. “Although no one died in this collapse, all our valuables and belongings are inside. We have to guard them round-the-clock or there is every chance of their getting stolen,” he complained.

Residents of Jalasmruti Apartments, which has also been abandoned without removing all debris, said although no person is trapped inside, the municipal corporation should remove the debris as their belongings are still under the rubble. About possible thefts, Deputy Municipal Commissioner Vinay Vyasa said: “Policemen have been deputed to ensure this does not happen.”

Deputy Municipal Commissioner Utpal Padiya, who has been co-ordinating sending of vehicles, said now their priority lies in pulling down unsafe structures “as they might cause harm to adjacent structures as well.”