Civic body wakes up after Bhiwandi building collapse
Of the 675 dangerous buildings in the town, 206 have been declared highly risky. After the building collapse, civic chief E Ravindran called a high-level meeting. Sources said residents will be convinced to vacate the structures.
After nine people were killed and 22 injured in a building collapse in Bhiwandi on Sunday, the civic body in the area has finally woken up to prevent more such incidents. The Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation has formed five teams to demolish 17 of the 675 most dangerous buildings in their jurisdiction.
Of the 675 dangerous buildings in the town, 206 have been declared highly risky. After the building collapse, civic chief E Ravindran called a high-level meeting. Sources said residents will be convinced to vacate the structures.
A senior civic official, however, said, "The residents are up in arms and are demanding another flat before evacuation. They are continuing to risk their lives." "At times, we have been unable to conduct demolition drives because of the lack of police protection," he added.
Meanwhile, civic chief E Ravindran said, "We have formed five teams to demolish 17 dangerous structures on a priority basis."
On Sunday at 9.15am, Kabir building – a two-storey dilapidated structure in Gaibi Nagar – came crashing down, killing nine people.
Irked locals slam rescue op
The Gaibi Nagar residents slammed the rescue operations by the authorities, criticising the high-handedness and delayed response of the officials. "The officials hardly saved any lives. We had already pulled out survivors to safety," said Zuber Ali, a resident of Gaibi Nagar.
"The government officials manhandled us instead of applauding our efforts," he added. So far, no compensation has been declared by the state government.