Virar building collapse victim’s family gets ₹15L cheque from govt

HT on Monday reported the plight of the father-daughter in the face of the government and municipal corporation’s indifference

MUMBAI: “My daughter will be able to stand on her feet again. It’s a ray of hope,” said an elated Anil Jovil (58) who on Wednesday received a ₹15-lakh cheque as compensation for his three family members who were killed when their building in Virar suddenly collapsed on August 27. His daughter Vishakha survived but her injuries left her paralysed waist down.

Palghar: A four-storey unauthorised building collapsed onto adjacent vacant chawl, at Virar, in Palghar district, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. 15 dead, several injured in the incident. (PTI Photo)(PTI08_28_2025_000276B) (PTI)

HT on Monday reported the plight of the father-daughter in the face of the government and municipal corporation’s indifference. Vishaka was in a private hospital for over 50 days and Jovil was struggling to cope with her spiralling medical bills. With the government compensation for Jovil’s dead family members not yet in and the Virar Vasai municipal corporation having stopped paying Vishakha’s medical expenses, the distraught father had lost all hope.

Vishakha was one of the nine persons injured in the Ramabai Apartment building collapse in Virar, which claimed the lives of 17 people. After the accident, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced that the families of the deceased would be given ₹5 lakh each from the Chief Minister’s Fund and free treatment for the injured. Jovil had been running from pillar to post to claim the money but to no avail.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress General Secretary Dr Dinesh Kamble, who was pursuing compensation for all the victims, said that Vishakha would be now able to get the treatment she deserved. “Whatever happened is in the past but now at least the government should make sure that other victims’ families do not suffer the same fate as the Jovils,” he said.

Kamble went on to emphasise that buildings of 15-30 years needed to be structurally audited once every five years, and those that were over 30 years old once every three years. “Since the rate of collapse of dilapidated buildings is increasing by the day, a structural audit should be made mandatory, and a white paper should be published on the subject,” he said.