Initial findings by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have revealed that substandard cement and stainless steel were used in the construction of the ill-fated Altaf Mansion building, which led to its collapse.
The five-storey Altaf Mansion building near Mahim Durgah collapsed on Monday evening, killing 10 and injuring six people. The civic body has instituted a high-level inquiry into the mishap and appointed structural consultant M/s Shashank Mehendale and Associates for the task.
Additional municipal commissioner Mohan Adtani said, “The building was constructed as per the design in the city’s development plan. However, according to the structural consultant, prima facie the poor quality reinforced cement concrete (RCC) used in the construction could be the probable reason for the collapse.”
He further said, “We have collected the debris samples and other construction material for the analysis, the report of which will be available in 10-15 days. The structural consultant will also submit report on the cause behind the building collapse within three days.”
According to the civic officials, if any violations are detected in the report, action could be initiated against the building’s developer and owner
Aziz Abdul Latif Abu Baker, RCC consultant N.M. Kanajwala and architect V.P. Parikh & Associates.
“If the report indicts anyone, we will file an FIR with the police with specific charges against the particular person,” said Mr Adtani.
The structural consultant has also recommended demolition of the remaining part of the Altaf Mansion building. The razing of the structure will start from Saturday. The civic body has appointed M/s Mihir Barot for the demolition job at the cost of `12.5 lakh.
According to the civic officials, the building was built in 1985 after procuring all the necessary permissions. It had also got the sanction from the civic building proposal (city) department.
In the past, the civic body had received complaints of choking of the sewage line, advertisement hoardings and an illegal shade in the building. However, there was never any complaint about its construction, they said.