Five people suffered injuries after the ceiling of an apartment crashed in Bhayandar on Saturday morning. The incident was reported at around 5:30 am from a two-storeyed building located in the sprawling Chandresh Accord complex near Silver Park in Mira Road. Five people living on the second floor of the building sustained injuries after a major chunk of the concrete slab in the living room caved in and landed on the first floor.
“The injured who have been identified as Manisha Mahadik (59), Mukesh Mahadik (32), Sheetal Bhuvad (42), Anita Bhuvad (22) and Siddarth Mahadik (11) were rescued and immediately rushed to the civil hospital in Bhayandar where their condition is stable,” confirmed chief fire officer Prakash Borade. A toddler miraculously escaped unhurt. The 28-year-old structure did not fare in the list of dangerous buildings declared by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC).
“As a precautionary measure we have evacuated all the 14 flats in the building and process was on to conduct an audit to ascertain the structural stability of the building. Reports will decide the further course of action, either needed repair work will strengthen the structure or the building will have to be demolished,” said ward officer Sachin Bachhav.
Saturday’s crash is not an isolated case, several similar incidents have been reported from various parts of the twin-city at regular intervals, putting the spotlight back on the issue of dilapidated structures and policy hurdles towards their redevelopment.
As per the provision of law, it is obligatory on the part of every owner and occupier of buildings, which are more than 30-years-old (or have been issued notices), to have them inspected and get the corrective repairs as suggested by the structural engineer before submitting the structural fitness certificate to the MBMC. A failure to do this could invite penal action.
