3 hurt as ceiling slab collapses at Majas bus depot

MUMBAI: Three mechanics were injured when a ceiling slab and plaster collapsed inside a store room-cum-rest room at the Majas BEST bus depot on Thursday morning, renewing concerns over the condition of the city’s ageing depot buildings after a similar incident at Shivaji Nagar earlier this week

MUMBAI: Three mechanics were injured when a ceiling slab and plaster collapsed inside a store room-cum-rest room at the Majas BEST bus depot on Thursday morning, renewing concerns over the condition of the city’s ageing depot buildings after a similar incident at Shivaji Nagar earlier this week.

3 hurt as ceiling slab collapses at Majas bus depot

The accident occurred around 6.45am in a facility used by M/s Mateshwari Urban Transport. The injured mechanics, Riyan Shaikh, 19, Salman Khan, 23 and Mujamuddin Khan, 20, were taken to Jogeshwari Trauma Care Hospital, where they received primary treatment before being discharged.

These repeated incidents have revived demands for a structural audit of all BEST depots.Sources said BEST committee member Nitin Nandgaonkar had written to the administration on March 23, warning that several depot buildings were in a dilapidated condition and posed a threat to employees. He urged the undertaking to immediately conduct structural audits of all depots and outposts instead of waiting for a major accident.

He also sought repairs or reconstruction of unsafe structures and asked the administration to submit the audit report within 10 days if inspections had already been carried out.

BEST officials said the undertaking is in the process of overhauling its depot infrastructure. Of the 27 bus depots spread across 7.71 lakh sq m, 22 are proposed to be redeveloped under a plan covering nearly 132 acres.

While the Kurla depot has already been redeveloped, the Dharavi, Kalakilla, Anik and Pratiksha Nagar depots will be handed over for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project and the Metro-11 underground rail project.