‘Bad quality sand making buildings weak’

The collapse of three flats of a building in Ulhasnagar on Tuesday is the fifth such incident in the past five years.

The collapse of three flats of a building in Ulhasnagar on Tuesday is the fifth such incident in the past five years.

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According to a source in the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation, who wished to remain anonymous, the reason for this was that unscrupulous builders, in order to make a quick buck, were using substandard material during construction.

They said the buildings that collapsed were mostly constructed during 1992-1995, when sand was in serious short supply. That’s when builders in Ulhasnagar started using sand from Ulva bunder, which is said to have high salinity.

This kind of sand is bad for construction purposes, civic body officials said, as it eats into the concrete and corrodes the iron frame of the building over time causing it to collapse.

The buildings that had collapsed earlier are Sanmukh Sadan, Godman Cottage, Jai Mata Di Apartment and Sona Market.