Bhiwandi building collapse: Man who initiated repairs arrested

Despite being aware of the dangerous condition of the structure, the accused initiated repair work without obtaining permission from or informing the municipal corporation, leading to the collapse, police said

Thane: The police on Sunday arrested the 49-year-old caretaker of the B-wing of Kohinoor Apartment, which collapsed on Thursday, killing 10 people. Apart from being the caretaker, the accused, Amritlal Mithailal Nishad, worked for a contractor identified only as Ashok; he had initiated repair work on the building’s pillars on Thursday, which is suspected to have caused the structure to collapse, Vikram Mohite, senior police inspector, Bhoiwada police station, told Hindustan Times.

On Thursday, the B-wing of Kohinoor Apartment collapsed, killing 10 people and injuring three others. (HT Photo)

Nishad has been booked along with the property owner, Bilal Ahmed Abubkar Khan, Khan’s business partner Danish and Ashok, the contractor, under sections 105, 125(a), 125(b), 3(5), and sections 52 and 53 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, based on a complaint filed by Faisal Kayyum Tatli, Additional Commissioner and the officer in charge of illegal constructions in the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC).

Bilal Khan has been living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since the past couple of months, and a police team visited his residence in Kurla on Friday as part of the investigation, police officials familiar with the matter told HT. Khan’s business partner Danish is also absconding, the officials said.

Regarding the accused contractor, Ashok, investigators suspect that he is the same as Ashok Paswan, who was undertaking repair work in the building when it collapsed on Thursday, killing him and nine others. Paswan’s family has reportedly taken his body to Uttar Pradesh for his last rites.

“Despite being aware of the dangerous condition of the structure, Nishad initiated repair work without obtaining permission from or informing the municipal corporation, leading to the collapse that killed 10 people. We arrested him from the Bhandari Compound area on Sunday,” Mohite said.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, when civic officials arrived to demolish the collapsed B-wing of Kohinoor Apartment and two adjacent buildings which were evacuated after the incident, residents staged a protest demanding the BNMC conduct a panchnama of their flats and provide them with alternate accommodation. The demolition exercise was subsequently called off, officials said.

More than 100 families residing in the affected buildings were staying in local temples, on the roadside, or with relatives, said Ramvilas Ram, who lived in the collapsed B-wing.

“My family and I have been staying at a nearby temple since the collapse. But how long can we stay there amid such heavy rain? I am desperately searching for an affordable room in the area,” Ram told HT.

The local corporator had been providing affected families with food since the collapse, although no help had been forthcoming from the BNMC, Ram said.

But BNMC commissioner Anmol Sagar said the civic body had been distributing food packets among the affected residents. “Arrangements are being made for their rehabilitation,” he said.

On Saturday, the BNMC identified more than 1,000 dilapidated buildings – 238 in the C-1 category and 836 in the C-2A category – and directed the administration to evacuate them. Officials have been instructed to conduct night inspections to ensure that no repair work is initiated in these buildings without the corporation’s permission. They have also been instructed to disconnect water and electricity supply to these buildings and shift occupants to BNMC-owned buildings.

Separately, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) Commissioner Saurabh Rao has also directed immediate implementation of preventive measures for old and dilapidated buildings across the city.

Under Rao’s directions, the TMC will issue notices to the occupants of C-1 buildings under section 264 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act. Residents will be informed of the risks and the carpet area of each occupied unit will be measured and certified before the buildings are evacuated and those without alternative accommodation are provided temporary shelter at designated relocation camps. In case residents refuse to vacate the buildings, electricity and water supplies would be disconnected, and warning boards would be installed, officials said.

Additionally, ward-level technical teams would regularly inspect dangerous buildings and take appropriate action for C-2A, C-2B, and C-3 category buildings in accordance with government guidelines, officials stated.