With eye on safety, BMC asks Mhada to raze Kothari bldg
MUMBAI: Fearing another mishap after the dangerous British-era Kothari mansion caught fire last month, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has written to the Mumbai Repair and Reconstruction Board of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), to pull down the structure.
“The building has not been pulled down neither it has been safeguarded till date, which is posing threat to pedestrian and vehicular traffic,” read the letter written on Tuesday. BMC has given 24 hours to Mhada to take measures to ‘safeguard’ the building.
The genesis of BMC’S safety concern can be found in a fire that engulfed the Kothari mansion on June 9. This caused the collapse of a part of the building, while the rest is also dangerous. After the fire, the civic body cordoned off the lanes around the building and restricted vehicular traffic. The BMC had then directed neighbouring residents of the Kothari mansion to vacate their houses for structural audits.
Suspecting foul play in the fire, the BMC had filed a police complaint against two tenants of the building. It said Nagraj Jain and Sayali Sawant had obtained a no objection certificate (NOC) from Mhada to repair the building after it was declared dangerous, but failed to do so owing to some dispute among other tenants over repairs. Mhada had earlier written to the heritage committee under the civic body for guidance on the demolition.