33-year-old building in Mumbai suburb begins to tilt, tenants evacuated
Contrary to the civic body’s claims, Mumbai residents said they had not been served a notice stating that the building was in a dangerous state
The Thane Municipal Corporation evacuated a three-decade-old building in Mumbra on Friday, after it tilted dangerously.
Contrary to the civic body’s claims, residents said they had not been served a notice stating that the building was in a dangerous state. They have now demanded accommodation in rental homes.
The four-floor Noorani Mahal building was constructed in 1984. Residents said it began tilting sometime over the past 15 days.
“We received complaints that the building had tilted, however tenants were unwilling to move out. Following the Bhendi Bazaar collapse, we decided to evacuate the residents forcefully as a precautionary measure,” said Santosh Kadam, regional disaster management officer.
The building has 16 flats and nine shops.
“A civic official came to my flat on Friday morning and asked me to vacate it. He said tenants were served eviction notices, which is untrue. Civic officials have turned off our electricity and water supply,” said Ishrat Mohammad Shaikh, 53, a tenant.
He added that while evacuating was not a hassle, he needed alternative accommodation. “My family has six members. We do not have a place to stay. We are willing to vacate the building only if the civic body gives us accommodation. For now, they will shift us to a civic school nearby. There is no clarity how long we can stay there or if officials will pay our rent if we decide to move,” he said.
