Mahim collapse: Kunte accepts 'negligence'

Civic chief Sitaram Kunte who met advocate Rizwan Merchant said he was “shocked” to see that the lawyer had made repeated complaints to the BMC about unauthorised construction work in Altaf Mansion. Merchant lost three of his family members in the Mahim building collapse on June 10.   

Asked if the G-North ward officials had hurried into sending him a report on June 11 stating there were no illegal alterations in the building, he said, “There was some negligence.”

Merchant met Kunte and mayor Sunil Prabhu and submitted a dossier including his earlier complaints about work in the building. His dossier flies in the fact of the ward office’s report that illegal alterations didn’t lead to collapse. Asked if the officials would face an inquiry, Kunte said, “I am yet to take that case.”