MHADA delays list of unsafe buildings, blames election duty

Every year Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) comes out with a list of most dangerous buildings in Mumbai. The list that generally comes out before monsoon has this year got delayed. The reason is election duty. 

The Mumbai Repair and Reconstruction Board (MRRB), a body of MHADA, incharge of cessed buildings in the city, takes care of making the list. Vinod Ghosalkar, the chairman of the board confirmed that there has been a delay on their part in preparing the list, but assured that it will out by next week. 

Ghosalkar said, “Majority of our staff was on election duty, and hence the process got a bit delayed. I have been assured by the board that by May 15 the list will be with me. Post which, what action has to be taken will be decided.” 

These buildings are in South Mumbai and have lakhs of residents staying in them. There have been several incidents in the past where there have been instances of building crash during the monsoon, causing casualty. 

One of the biggest incident reported was the collapse of Hussaini building, in Bhendi Bazaar in 2017. More than 30 people lost their lives. 

Last year, MRRB came out with a list of buildings that they declared unsafe. A total of seven buildings were declared as most dangerous. Six of the seven buildings in the previous year’s list were interestingly carried forward from the 2017 list. 

Ghosalkar claims that once the list is out the action will be swift. “We are finalising the transit accommodation where the residents of these buildings will have to be shifted. I recently carried out a survey on transit accommodations, and we are going to get the possession in the coming one or two months. This will help us formulate the shifting better,” said Ghosalkar. 

AUTHORITY SPEAKS

There are more than 16,000 cessed buildings that belong to MHADA, and most of them are in south Mumbai. Of these, more than 8,000 need urgent repairs, while 3,000 are in a miserable condition, the body said