Collapsed Ulhasnagar building was illegal

An inquiry into the collapse of Sheesh Mahal building at Ulhasnagar on Tuesday that killed six children and injured two adults has revealed that the structure was illegal. Kiran Sonawane reports.

An inquiry into the collapse of Sheesh Mahal building at Ulhasnagar on Tuesday that killed six children and injured two adults has revealed that the structure was illegal. It had been constructed on a plot reserved for a school.

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Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) commissioner Ashok Rankhamb said construction work on the building was completed in 1995.

In addition to constructing on a plot reserved for a school, the builder had not submitted any plan of the building to the UMC for sanction, he said.

In 1996, the UMC issued a demolition order on Sheesh Mahal but due to political pressure and unavailability of police security the demolition was stayed. After that, the builder sold the flats to residents on agreements made on Rs20 stamp paper. Twenty-five flats in the building are not registered in the tehsildar’s office.

Rankhamb said any proposal by the corporators to compensate the victims would be sent to the state government. Advice would also be sought from the legal department. Compensation would be given only after a state nod.

Deputy commissioner of police Sarang Awad said a police team sent to Kandivli to arrest the contractors Ananda and Joshi who were undertaking repair work on the fifth floor of the building, had found their homes locked.