Over the weekend, the BMC demolished a ramshackle building adjoining the dilapidated four-storey Borivli house that collapsed last week. Two other buildings on the premises are being demolished by the housing society itself, said Nivrutti Gondhali, assistant commissioner of R Central ward.
“A day after the building crashed, residents of the locality said parts of the adjoining building were giving way. Therefore, on Saturday evening we began demolishing it. In the meantime the high court directed residents of the nearby dilapidated buildings to vacate the premises within 24 hours. If the society/developer did not start the demolition in the next 24 hours, the BMC would have stepped in,” he said. However from Tuesday, the society began demolishing the two other buildings.
Gitanjali building, over four decades old, crashed on the afternoon of August 19 but fortunately nobody was injured as the residents had run out after feeling tremors.
The adjoining building came down in in no time on Saturday, said Gondhali. “During the demolition using poclain and other machinery, we could make out the condition was poor. For the convenience of those living in the building, we opened civic schools and made food and washroom arrangements. Most of the residents said they would shift to their relatives’ homes,” he added.
Gitanjali building had been declared dilapidated in 2020 after the BMC’s structural audit placed it in the C-1 category, meaning dangerous. However, residents hired their own structural auditor, who declared the building repairable, said officials.
If there are contradicting reports, the case is referred to the Technical Audit committee (TAC). “In 2020, the TAC too declared the building dilapidated and dangerous in the C-1 category. But residents had approached the court, which stayed the demolition,” said the official.
