DNA Edit: Structural crises

Close on the heels of a building collapse in Mumbai’s Bhendi Bazar following torrential rains, a five-storey building caved in in old Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar due to heavy downpour. The century-old building in Mumbai, one of the many such vintage structures dotting the cityscape, is now a subject of blame-game between civic authorities, even as the death toll has exceeded 30.

These mishaps underscore how derelict structures continue to pose a serious threat to life for the inhabitants as well as for those in the neighbourhood. In case of Mumbai, paucity of space has led to exorbitant real-estate prices and high rents, leaving the middle class with very few options. However, in the rest of India, the frequency of buildings caving in during monsoon is a matter of critical concern. The irony is neither the occupants nor state governments show the inclination to renovate and restore these properties, which also have heritage value.

Many such buildings in the oldest cities and metros carry our tenuous links with the past. Several such structures in Kolkata have been either abandoned because they are unsafe to live in, or given away to builders for high-rises. Civic authorities in cities need to form a trust, identify such buildings and share the costs of repairs with the occupants. That’s the only way lives and heritage structures can be saved from monsoon fury and the greed of real-estate sharks.