BMC pre-monsoon survey finds 300 rickety buildings

It’s going to be another rough monsoon for citizens.

The season for collapsing buildings will be here in a month’s time and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is unprepared to tackle the mishaps. The pre-monsoon survey by the BMC has revealed that the city has 300 dilapidated buildings not suitable for habitation.

A major chunk of these structures exists in Bhandup, Kurla, Byculla, Mulund, Kandivli and Goregaon. Bhandup alone has 50 dilapidated buildings. More than 30 such buildings are enlisted in Kurla as well as Byculla.

“As part of the monsoon-preparedness exercise, we have done a recce of the city and compiled a list of buildings which may not be able to survive the rain’s wrath,” said a senior civic official, on conditions of anonymity.

Worse still, 90% of these dangerous buildings are private residential structures. Statistics show that there are around 250 private residential structures, while more than 40 are dilapidated properties owned by the BMC. Notice will be served to the owners and tenants in the buildings on priority basis to vacate the structure or to carry out urgent repairs, the official added.

However, civic officials say that usually they face tough resistance from residents to vacate or even to initiate repairs. “The private properties have to self-regularise their premises. We issue the notices but citizens hardly pay any heed to it, but after every collapse they are quick to blame us for recklessness,” said another official.

Last monsoon, 226 private properties were tagged unfit for dwelling. However, out of these, only 17 were vacated by the BMC and three were demolished, while out of the 46 dilapidated properties owned by the BMC, 14 were vacated.

“We have spent our entire life staying here. We can’t just shift houses at the drop of a hat. We carry out repairs in our own homes individually. But for the whole society the owner has to take responsibility and some initiative,” said Mohan Prasad, a Goregaon resident.

Meanwhile, a majority of the buildings which gave in last monsoon, were served a notice to vacate premises by the BMC.
One was killed and seven were injured when a four-storey structure caved in at Kurla in July last year. At Ghatkopar, a three-storey building collapsed in September last year killing a six-year-old, while six others narrowly escaped death.

At Bhuleshwar, the rear portion of a five-storey building collapsed in April last year, but, fortunately, no one was hurt.