Mumbai : Police book four, including developer, for negligence in Dahisar collapse

Three days after a four storey building collapsed in Dahisar (East) killing seven and injuring seven others, the police, on Tuesday, booked the building’s ex-chairman, secretary, developer and watchman for causing death due to negligence and causing grievous hurt.

Three days after a four storey building collapsed in Dahisar (East) killing seven and injuring seven others, the police, on Tuesday, booked the building’s ex-chairman, secretary, developer and watchman for causing death due to negligence and causing grievous hurt.

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However, no arrests have been made so far.

The accused were identified as Piyush Cooperative Housing Society’s ex-chairman Bhikabhai Nanjibhai Dudhaat, 55, secretary Babubhai Vishrambhai Patel, 49, developer Nemjibhai Gangar alias Shah, 65, and watchman Mansingh Lamsal, 40, who lost his wife, brother-in-law and sevenyear-old daughter in the mishap.

The police said Lamsal, who has been the watchman of the building for three years, had made his family of four live on the premises without seeking anyone’s permission.

He was also aware that the building’s condition was shaky.

“Gangar, Dudhat and Patel, too, were aware that the structure was dangerous and could collapse, after the BMC sent a notice in 2010.

Yet the accused did not pull down the building, which then cost people their lives,” said an official from the Dahisar police.

The main culprit, police said, was the building’s developer who took the ownership of the property from one Mrs Carmen Kagal in 1979. He then built Piyush, Pallavi and Bhavin buildings on the land.

The BMC in 2010 termed Piyush as a dangerous building and sent notices to vacate the building asking it to be either redeveloped or demolished. An FIR was also registered by BMC at the Dahisar police station against Gangar in 2011.

The police said though the society’s management approached Gangar for redeveloping the structure, he allegedly did nothing for one-and-a-half years. The society then decided to approach another developer.

“However, Gangar neither paid the registration fees, nor stamp duty back. Without the the conveyance and no-objection certificate from him, residents were unable to give it out to another developer,” said investigating officer, sub-inspector, Vijay Shingade.