After two building collapses in Mumbra, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has decided to take no chances as far as dilapidated buildings are concerned. The civic body on Sunday evacuated a five-storey building in Mumbra, after cracks were visible in its pillars.
According to civic officials, Noor Apartments building in Sanjay Nagar was not listed in the dangerous buildings in the pre-monsoon survey of the TMC. However, when the authorities learnt about the dilapidated state of the building, they rushed to the site and asked the residents to vacate the building immediately. Despite strong opposition from residents, the building was vacated.
Santosh Kadam of the TMC disaster management cell, said, “There were big cracks on the pillars of the third and fourth floor of Noor Apartments. The residents were trying to plaster cement. However, considering the extent of the damage caused to the pillars, it would have been a threat to their lives. Hence, we decided to evacuate the building.”
TMC officials said that Noor Apartments was constructed around three-and-a-half years ago in 2009; there were 21 families and seven shops in the building. “The TMC has decided to provide temporary accommodation to the residents, who will be put up in a nearby school. The structural audit of Noor Apartments should be done before taking any decision about its existence,” said Sandeep Malvi, spokesman for the TMC.
In the last three months, two building collapses have taken place in Mumbra, killing 84 persons. In its pre-monsoon survey, the TMC had declared 1,049 buildings dangerous and served notices to residents to vacate them. According to the data, in Mumbra, almost 95 per cent of the buildings are illegal. Over two lakh houses of the estimated 2.79 lakh homes across Thane and Kalwa-Mumbra-Diva are unauthorised.