45-year-old contractor arrested

Khar police, based on a complaint from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on Wednesday arrested a civil contractor who has been charged with culpable

Khar police, based on a complaint from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on Wednesday arrested a civil contractor who has been charged with culpable homicide after a building in Khar (West) partially collapsed.

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Ranjeet Sawant, 45, was produced before Bandra magistrate court and has been remanded in police custody till September 27.

Deputy commissioner of police, zone 9, Paramjit Singh Dahiya confirmed the first information report (FIR) and a Khar police officer confirmed the arrest. Further investigation is underway.

On Tuesday afternoon, the stairwell and one wing of the 44-year-old Bhole Apartments collapsed. Ten-year-old Mahi Dinesh Motwani was killed in the incident and two others have sustained serious injuries. About 23 were rescued from the building by Mumbai fire brigade officials.

The FIR was lodged by Bhagyawant Late, an executive engineer in the BMC, alleging culpable homicide not amounting to murder and holding Sawant responsible for the incident. Late said the BMC had found that stilt parking column work and repair work was going on in the building, which damaged the columns.

H (West) ward assistant commissioner Sharad Ughade said, “We had asked the residents to submit the report of the structural audit which they had conducted two years ago. We have not got it yet.”

In the FIR, Late said, “Every building which is 30 years old has to undergo a structural audit. In case of this building, we had served the society three notices asking them to conduct a structural audit. Without our knowledge they conducted the audit. As per rules, they have to inform us about the audit and a structural auditor monitors the audit. But we did not receive any information from them. Furthermore, the accused Sawant holds a civil diploma and is well aware that he has to inform the BMC before undertaking any kind of repair work. He had the knowledge that [a] structural consultant has to monitor any such repairs. Despite this, he did not seek BMC’s permission before conducting repairs and is responsible for the incident.”