Residents of 4 buildings near collapsed structure to vacate

The three-storey building collapse on Sunday which claimed eight lives has shaken the other residents of Gaibi Nagar in Bhiwandi.

Around 150 residents live in four dilapidated buildings in the area.

On Wednesday, the Bhiwandi Nizampura Municipal Corporation (BNMV) asked the residents to evacuate the buildings as they could feel the structures shaking while clearing the debris of Kabir Seth building which collapsed on Sunday.

In Sunday’s incident, at least 12 two-wheelers were damaged as they were buried in the debris. There was property loss of around Rs30 lakh but officials are yet to calculate the final figure. The civic commissioner has asked civic officials to give updates about the structure every 24 hour.

More than 50 trucks of debris have been removed and still more is left to be cleared.

A 61-year-old resident of Kabir Seth building (B wing) Sadiq Ali, said, “We are scared to stay in our building after the A wing collapsed. On Wednesday, we are asked to evacuate the building.”

Sana Shaikh, 24, another resident, said they were told that the nearby buildings too are shaky. “We have been staying here for the last two decades. We had complained about water leakage and other problems. After the building collapse, the corporation has woken up.”

Badrujama Ahmed Ansari, 35, had been running a powerloom unit at Kabir Seth building for the past 40 years.

“We have suffered losses too. The corporation should come up with a separate place for commercial sector. We are jobless now,” he said.

Additional municipal commissioner Sunil Bhalerao said, “We have been asked to give regular update about Bhiwandi buildings. The construction of the building is substandard.”

PRAFUL GANGURDE