PTI
Mumbai, Jul 20: A case has been registered against a jeweller for allegedly carrying out illegal structural modifications at a store owned by him on the ground floor of the Borivali building, which collapsed killing 28 people.
Rescue operations have, meanwhile, been called off as there are no more people trapped under the debris, Additional Commissioner of Police (north region) Suresh Khopde said.
"We have registered a case against one Kailash Jain, who is the owner of Vardhaman Jewellery store on the ground floor of the building, for carrying out illegal structural changes which might have resulted in the collapse," he told.
"Jain has also lost three of his relatives in the tragedy and, therefore, will be arrested only after he has finished all necessary rituals," Khopde said.
The incident, which took place on Wednesday evening, has claimed 28 lives and left 17 persons injured.
Fire officials said most of the debris of the Laxmi Chhaya building in the north west suburb of Borivali had been cleared and rescue operations have been completed.
Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Thursday ordered a magisterial probe into the building collapse and the state government has formed a technical committee to probe into the incident.
Earlier report:
Society committees show lack of responsibility
DNA
Mumbai: The crash of the seven-storey Laxmi Chhaya building in Borivili on Wednesday has once again exposed the lack of collective responsibility of members of the society’s managing committee while giving permissions for renovations undertaken by members — residential or commercial.
Leading advocate Mahabaleshwar Morje, secretary, flat owners’ association told DNA that the indemnity bond which the Managing Committee has to sign under Section 73 (1) (b) of the Cooperative Bylaws — allowing members to undertake alterations under the BMC Act and Development Control regulations — is never signed by the MC.
“This bond, to be given to the deputy registrar of cooperative societies is mandatory, but in a majority of the cases, the MC rarely gives consent for it to escape all criminal liabilities in case of a mishap,” he said.
The law is incidentally tough on the builder, promoter, architect and the civic engineer in case of a mishap, before the conveyance of the building is done in the name of the cooperative society.
But once it is done, the onus remains on the MC. “The bond owning responsibility is never signed because the Managing Committee members are often found hand-in-glove with the member taking up illegal renovation project.
We have seen cases in which lakhs of rupees have been exchanged and the illegal work is done in connivance with MC members,” added Morje.
As secretary of the sheriff committee appointed by SK Chowdhary, under the chairmanship of ex-justice VS Deshpande, to study the problems of old buildings in Mumbai, Morje had come up with the plan of regular inspections and insurance of buildings.
BMC blames victims for crash
DNA
Mumbai: Residents of the Laxmi Chhaya Cooperative Housing Society at Borivili, one wing of which collapsed on Wednesday killing 29 and injuring another 15, may be to blame for the disaster.
In its prima facie report, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday indicted the society for neglecting the beams and reinforcement columns on the ground floor of the building while undertaking wholesale structural repairs three years ago. The report was based on residents’ accounts.
“They did not change the beams on the ground floor while modifying the upper service floors. This could have put additional pressure on the beams, “ assistant municipal commissioner VV Shankarwar said.
Civic officials said the renovation carried out by Vardhaman Jewellers, blamed as the chief reason for the collapse, could have only served as a yield point. Shankarwar said, “Repairs carried out by the society appeared inferior in quality.” A close look at the part of the wing that still stands suggests that column supports on a few floors were tampered with.
Shankarwar said BG Mehta and Yogesh Patel were the project's architects. The building society's office-bearer Mulchand Chedda admitted that the ground floors beams were left unattended.
"The shops on the ground floor did not permit entry into their stores for the work," he said. Another ground floor beam had bent a year ago, Chheda said.