Bhayander East slab collapse: Flat owner arrested for negligence

The house owner of a flat was arrested for causing death due to negligence after a labourer and contractor died, and another worker was severely injured

MUMBAI: The house owner of a flat was arrested for causing death due to negligence on Monday after a labourer and contractor died, and another worker was severely injured when a slab collapsed on them in Bhayander East on Sunday morning during house repair work.

Police arrested the artisan for stealing a gold bangle from a jewellery shop in Sector 23, Chandigarh.

According to the police officers of Navghar police station, the owner of the flat has been identified as Vinay Kumar Tripathi. Police officers said that Tripathi had not taken any permission from the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation to carry out renovation work of the bathroom and toilet of his flat in Shri Nath Jyoti building in Bhayander East.

Tripathi hired Hariram Chauhan for the repair work. However, municipal staff instructed Chauhan to stop work due to complaints from housing society members. Tripathi, however, did not pay any heed and continued the renovation work.

Around 10:30am on Sunday, just as work was about to begin, the slab containing the kitchen’s water basin collapsed suddenly. The contractor Chauhan, 55, and workers Makhanlal Yadav, 26, and Akash Yadav, 25, were trapped under the debris.

The other two workers present on the spot informed the Municipal Corporation and the fire brigade. The fire brigade staff reached the spot and rushed the three men to the municipal hospital. While Chauhan and Makhanlal were declared dead before admission, Akash was admitted and is undergoing treatment in a private hospital.

Navghar police stated that the ongoing work was illegal due to Tripathi’s failure to obtain permissions. The Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation officers said that they had stopped the work after the building members complained about it. The contractor, however, restarted the work, resulting in the accident.

“We have registered a case against Tripahi under section 304-A (causing death due to negligence) of the Indian Penal Code and arrested him. The accused was produced before the court on Monday where he was remanded to police custody,” said a police officer from Navghar police station.

The slab collapse raised questions on the stability of the building, which has five floors and is very old. Therefore, Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation commissioner Sanjay Katkar has given orders to prepare the structural audit of the building.