Virar building collapse: Builder, plot owner ignored structural repair warning

In the aftermath, 28 families living in adjacent structures in Virar’s Narangi area have been asked to vacate as a precautionary measure.

Mumbai: Five days after the collapse of Ramabai Apartment in Virar East claimed 17 lives, including that of a one-year-old girl, investigations have revealed that the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) had issued a repair notice to the building as far back as 2020.

At least 17 people have lost their lives after a part of a four-storey building collapsed in Maharashtra's Palghar district (HT Photo)

The warning was ignored by the builder, Niley Sane, and plot owners, police said, with no repairs carried out.

Several residents say that had the builder paid heed to the civic warning to repair the building in 2020, this incident could have been averted.

A portion of the four-storey building, constructed 12 years ago without municipal approval, crumbled in the early hours of Wednesday while a birthday celebration for the infant victim was underway.

Most of the deceased were relatives and neighbours gathered for the party. Nine others were injured.

In the aftermath, 28 families living in adjacent structures in Virar’s Narangi area have been asked to vacate as a precautionary measure. They have been temporarily shifted to Chandansar Samaj Mandir, where the civic body is providing food, water, medical aid, and essentials. “Arrangements have also been made to send the bodies of some victims to their native villages,” said VVCMC assistant commissioner Gilson Gonsalves.

Five people have been arrested so far. These include developer Niley Sane, who is in extended police custody, and four others—Shubhangi Bhoir, 38, Sandhya Patil, 35, her son-in-law Surendra Bhoir, 46, and Mangesh Patil, 35,—who have been remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody.

According to police, the Crime Branch’s interrogation of Sane confirmed that the 2020 civic notice highlighting the building’s dilapidated condition was ignored. “The incident makes it evident that these warnings were brushed aside,” an officer said.

Meanwhile, the VVCMC has begun a structural audit of neighbouring buildings to assess whether more evacuations are necessary.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced an ex-gratia assistance of ₹5 lakh each for the families of the deceased after the building collapse.