Malad bldg pulled down, after it suffers vertical crack

On Thursday, BMC appointed a contractor to demolish the building, following its notice to 20 families for immediate evacuation the previous day. Movers and packers were summoned soon after the notice was issued while fire brigade officials ensured there was no further threat to life and property

Mumbai:

Malad bldg pulled down, after it suffers vertical crack

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) started bringing down the four-storey residential building on Malad (West) on Thursday after it developed a deep vertical crack on Wednesday morning, rendering it unsafe. The crack occurred after a slab in the bedroom of a flat on the third floor collapsed in the early hours, plunging a sleeping couple to the ground floor.

Hindustan Times was the first to report the unfortunate incident on Thursday. Residents on the third floor -- Nupa and Jatin Parikh – were jolted out of their sleep at the sound of the crash and in no time found themselves three floors down at Anurag CHS. The couple emerged miraculously unscathed from the accident but were admitted to Thunga Hospital to recover from minor injuries and shock.

On Thursday, BMC appointed a contractor to demolish the building, following its notice to 20 families for immediate evacuation the previous day. Movers and packers were summoned soon after the notice was issued while fire brigade officials, who had arrived at the spot earlier, ensured there was no further threat to life and property.

“The building is in major distress following the crack. Hence, we have to demolish it at the earliest,” said a civic official from P (North) Ward. “It was over 45 years old, which was the main cause of the collapse. We still have to ascertain the cause of the crash, although we believe no major structural alterations could have been made, as middle class families resided here. Before demolishing, we take the measurement of the flats and share the measurement sheet with the residents.” Workers first punctured the water tanks on the terrace of the building “to take the load off the building”.

Meanwhile, the 20 families who have vacated their houses have put up with their relatives or are still looking for properties to rent. The building was up for redevelopment and residents were contemplating moving out after two months.