Ward office files FIR against owners of Goregaon shopping complex

A day after two people were killed and six others were left injured after a portion of a slab of Prasad Shopping Centre at Kakaji Nagar in Goregaon (West) collapsed on Tuesday around 9.47pm, the P-north ward office registered a complaint at Goregaon police station against the building's owner. The building is a ground-plus-five-storey structure.

"A few months ago, we had sent a notice to the owner, asking him to carry out a structural audit of the building as it is an old structure. However, he didn't pay heed to the notice and just carried out minor structural repairs," said Ramakant Biradar, assistant municipal commissioner of P-north ward.

"A portion of the canopy fell on people standing below it. The entire area was crowded at that time."

Parshuram Yadav, 16 and Naseer, 30, died on spot. Those rescued from the rubble were sent to Siddharth Hospital at Goregaon (West). Four fire brigade vehicles were sent to the spot. Many were feared trapped in the rubble.

The Goregaon police confirmed that they had booked the developer (of the structure) and his brother on Wednesday on charges of culpable homicide. The accused are Manoj Jain and Pradip Jain.

According to the police, the owners had done concretisation of the building, which had made the ledges heavy and caused the sudden fall. "We will be investigating the matter, after which arrests will be made," said Sunil Wadke, senior inspector.