Pregnant woman injured as plaster of ‘dangerous’ building falls off

The building was declared dangerous to live in, under C-1 category, in 2016 and eviction notices were issued but many tenements continued to stay, according to officials from Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC). Following the incident, water, electricity and sewage connections to the building were cut off, forcing the tenements to start vacating the flats

Navi Mumbai: A 22-year-old pregnant woman from Nerul suffered head injuries after the plaster of her flat’s roof fell off on her on Wednesday morning while she was sleeping. The building was declared dangerous to live in, under C-1 category, in 2016 and eviction notices were issued but many tenements continued to stay, according to officials from Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC). Following the incident, water, electricity and sewage connections to the building were cut off, forcing the tenements to start vacating the flats.

Pregnant woman injured as plaster of ‘dangerous’ building falls off

The incident occurred on Wednesday at 5 am when the victim, Arti Usman Ali, and her husband were sleeping in their flat in Building No. 6A4 of NL2 Road in Nerul and the concrete plaster of the roof fell off on her, causing injuries to her head. Bleeding profusely, the woman was rushed to a civic hospital in Nerul, where she had to undergo a procedure to stitch the wound. “Following this, she underwent a CT scan and there was no major trauma detected. Her condition is stable,” said Dr Uddhav Khilare at the civic hospital in Nerul.

According to the NMMC officials, the building was declared extremely dangerous and unfit for habitation under the C-1 category in 2016, suggesting immediate redevelopment of the building. Subsequently, the 341 residents of the building were issued eviction notices. “Due to internal disputes over redevelopment, the society had to be dissolved and an administrator was appointed. Following this, many tenements vacated the flats but around 150 tenements continued staying,” the officials said.

Following the incident, the encroachment department disconnected the water supply and sewage connections to the society. The department had also informed the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd. (MSEDCL) to cut off electricity supply to the building. The civic administration also informed the building’s administrator to ensure the residents vacate the building on an immediate basis.

Repeated attempts to contact the victim’s husband went unanswered.