Dangerous8217; bldg collapse kills one

This is the third building crash in Thane in the last three months. While the Sairaj crash at Kisan Nagar on November 7 last year claimed 14 lives, the Pradeep Smriti crash at Mahagiri Koliwada on May 1 had killed 10.

Recalled resident Subodh Jadhav, who helped pull the Gala siblings out of the debris, 8220;I heard a crashing sound, and even as I shouted out to my neighbours, theterrace gave way and landed on the asbestos roof of the room built on the ground floor by the Bhatia family.8221; The Bhatias had allegedlyillegally constructed the extended room ten years ago.

8220;My daughter Bhavna ran a tuition class in that room. In fact, classes for this semester started only on Thursday,8221; explained Madhavdas Bhatia. Pointed out a neighbour, 8220;Had the crash taken place after 10.30 am, there would have been more casualties as more children would have been there.8221; Residents had opposed the construction of the room by the Bhatias as it ate up whatever little space was available to the children. A year later, in 1990, the building8217;s owners, the Paartes, made an extension to the second floor slab, creating a terrace.

However, the owners, who have been at loggerheads with tenants who have refused to move out or pay higher rents, refused to take responsibility for the state of the building. 8220;How can I repair and maintain the building on the pittance they pay?8221; Paarte demanded toknow.

while the building residents admit that they were aware that the structure was dangerous, local corporator and ex-Mayor Vijaya Deshmukh Shiv Sena still declared that 8220;Wouldn8217;t I know if anything was wrong? TMC officials inspect the building every year, but they have never said anything.8221;

Countered acting commissioner B R Pohekar, who is officiating in place of commissioner T S Chandrashekhar, who8217;s away on a tour to the US, 8220;Residents are demanding that the TMC provide permanent alternative accommodation before a decision is taken on demolition of the unsafe buildings.8221; Pointing out that it was impossible for the corporation to fund rehousing of all those living in endangered buildings, he said, 8220;At the most, we can provide them alternative accommodation temporarily in civic schools. But they will later have to fend for themselves.8221;

8220;The dangerous structures enjoy the tacit support of corporators, many of whom are directly involved in the construction of these buildings. They don8217;t wantto evict residents to hurt their carefully cultivated votebanks,8221; said a senior official. 8220;The same corporators have no qualms crying themselves hoarse on how civic officials are responsible for those who die in any crash,8221; he added.