6 injured as ‘dangerous’ unoccupied building collapses on adjacent chawl in Bhiwandi

Six persons were injured after a ground-plus-one-storeyed building collapsed in Bhiwandi at around 7am on Tuesday; the building was declared dangerous and evacuated by the Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation; the building fell on a chawl adjacent to the structure, causing injuries

Six persons were injured after a ground-plus-one-storeyed building collapsed in Bhiwandi at around 7am on Tuesday. The building was declared dangerous and evacuated by the Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC).

The rubble following the collapse of a dangerous building in Bhiwandi on Tuesday. Six people were injured. (PRAFUL GANGURDE/HT PHOTO)

However, the building fell on a chawl adjacent to the structure, causing injuries. Six labourers lived in the room beside the building, Mobin Master, located at Panjrapur area near Nishan Hotel.

The building was initially set up as a power loom unit and its first floor was meant to be a residential space. The injured are Mohammed Nizamuddin Shaikh (20), Sartaj Shaikh (26), Shakeel Shaikh (25), Mohammad Mansoor (25), Mohammad Jehangir Shaikh (32) and Danish Qazi (29). Among these Jehangir Shaikh is seriously injured and shifted to a private hospital. All others were given basic first aid and discharged from the hospital within a few hours.

Milind Parsule, PRO, BNCMC, said, “As this was not the permanent residence of those injured in the incident, we have not made any provision for accommodation. We had ensured that the dangerous structure was evacuated well in advance. As the area was surrounded by many more residences, we could not carry out any demolition of the structure. It was unfortunate that the structure fell on the adjacent rooms. Those were illegal encroachments.”

Rajesh Pawar, fire officer, Bhiwandi, said, “We received a call at 7.20am and by 8.30, we managed to complete the rescue operations. By the time we reached the spot, the locals had started rescuing some of the injured. We helped rescue the remaining from the rubble and also ensured that no one was remaining. All of them were taken to the nearby IGM hospital.”

As soon as the locals reached the spot, they started pulling out those stuck in the debris. “On hearing the loud noise, I rushed out of my house to find a heap of rubble in place of the building. We immediately called out our neighbours. Some joined us to rescue those stuck inside while others started calling the civic authorities and fire brigade for help,” said Shaukat Ansari, 42, a resident of Panjrapur who rushed to the spot and helped in the rescue operations.

The building was declared ‘dangerous’ by the BNCMC in 2017. Faisal Tatli, officer in-charge of Bhiwandi Disaster Management Cell, said, “The 45-year-old building was dilapidated and in a dangerous condition. We had razed the first floor last year and also disconnected the electricity and water of the building. Thus, it was unoccupied.”

There is no case registered in the incident. Yogesh Chavan, DCP of Zone 2, said, “We are awaiting the report on the incident from the BNCMC. A case will be registered on the basis of the findings of the report. For now, there is no FIR registered.”

One of the six injured, Sartaj Shaikh, said that a portion of the wall of the building had collapsed on the roof of their chawl a fortnight ago. “We had informed the owner of the chawl about the incident. However, no action was taken despite the warning. Moreover, the civic body had asked the concerned owner of the building also to demolish the building on his own. The incident could have been averted had the building been demolished.”