More than 5330 families reside in dangerous buildings: NMMC survey | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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More than 5330 families reside in dangerous buildings: NMMC survey

May 27, 2022 11:41 PM IST

Among the 514 dangerous buildings, the maximum number of 197 notices have been given to buildings from Vashi ward followed by 109 buildings in Belapur

Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has released a list of 514 buildings that have been declared as dangerous in the city. According to the statistics available with NMMC, 350 are commercial properties and 5,330 families residing in the ‘extremely dangerous’ category buildings. The civic body has sent notices to these buildings to evacuate and repair the structure as per the category under which the building falls.

According to another officer from NMMC, in case of any untoward incident in these buildings wherein a transit camp would have to be set up for residents to stay after evacuation, CIDCO and the private builder would be the authority who will provide the same while NMMC would provide in case of any natural disaster. (Bachchan Kumar/HT PHOTO)
According to another officer from NMMC, in case of any untoward incident in these buildings wherein a transit camp would have to be set up for residents to stay after evacuation, CIDCO and the private builder would be the authority who will provide the same while NMMC would provide in case of any natural disaster. (Bachchan Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Among the 514 dangerous buildings, the maximum number of 197 notices have been given to buildings from Vashi ward followed by 109 buildings in Belapur. The lowest are from Digha ward with nine and 17 in Airoli ward.

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Every year, before monsoon, the list is released and notices are sent to the buildings. The civic body has divided the categories depending on the condition of the properties as C1 (extremely dangerous), C2A (need repairs with evacuation), C2B (need repairs without evacuation), and C3 (minor repairs) categories. This year, 61 are in the C1 category, compared to 65, last year, 120 in C2A compared to 94 last year, 282 in C2B as compared to 259 the previous year, and 51 in C3 compared to 57 last year.

NMMC commissioner Abhijit Bangar said, “Every year, the list is released for the safety of the residents. As per our survey, 5,330 families are currently staying in buildings that need immediate repairs and are in a dangerous condition. The notices are issued to them informing the same.”

According to another officer from NMMC, in case of any untoward incident in these buildings wherein a transit camp would have to be set up for residents to stay after evacuation, CIDCO and the private builder would be the authority who will provide the same while NMMC would provide in case of any natural disaster.

According to the notice, the owners or the occupants of the declared buildings have been informed, regarding the hazards of residential or commercial use of the building in which they are staying and immediate suspension of the use of these buildings has to be made. “The notices also clearly state that the electrical and water connection of the C-1 category building will be disconnected if the evacuation or demolition is not done immediately,” Deputy municipal commissioner (encroachment) Amrish Patnigere said.

A resident of Nerul ward whose society has also received the notice under the C1 category has alleged that their building has no structural issues and yet the corporation has been issuing notices every year. “The notices are a result of a nexus with the private builders who wish to undertake redevelopment of the old societies. Ours is a ground plus one building. There are 17 such buildings and 394 tenants stay in the society. I have been writing to authorities for many years right from the chief minister informing about the nexus and the corruption, but have never got a positive response,” Jagdev Singh Thakur said. Another RTI activist Hemant Mhatre claimed that buildings declared dangerous have been standing tall for a decade, raising questions on the survey.

Bangar said, “The list mentions only the buildings which are dangerous to reside in and from the safety point of view, it is important to inform them. There is a separate committee that declares buildings as dilapidated. Only if that is declared, redevelopment can be done. So, the involvement of private builder’s nexus is false. Secondly, when a particular structure is declared dangerous, it is not necessary that it will fall in some particular time. If it doesn’t fall, it doesn’t mean it is safe to reside either.”

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