Civic official arrested in Virar building collapse that killed 17

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An official from the Virar-Vasai Municipal Corporation (VVMC) has been arrested in connection with the building collapse in Maharashtra's Palghar district, in which 17 people lost their lives in August, an official said on Friday, reported news agency PTI.

The Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar (MBVV) police arrested Gilson Gonsalves, the assistant commissioner of the VVMC ward C, on Thursday night, an official said, reported PTI.

Ramabai Apartment, an unauthorised four-storey building, collapsed onto an adjacent vacant tenement at Vijay Nagar in Virar area of Palghar, adjoining Mumbai, on August 26. At least 17 people, including two children, were killed in the incident, reported PTI.

With the latest arrest, six people have been booked in the case. The Virar police had earlier arrested developer Neetal Sane, who remains in custody, and two women, who owned the land on which the structure was built, and their husbands, who collected rent from the residents.

According to Crime Branch officials, Gonsalves, who was in charge of ward C, failed to take action under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966, despite a structural audit flagging the building as dangerous and unauthorised, reported PTI.

"Assistant Commissioner Gonsalves did not take the mandated action under the MRTP Act when the structural audit found the building to be dangerous and its construction was unauthorised. A case has been registered against him for dereliction of duty by colluding with the building contractor," an official said, reported PTI.

The building, constructed around 2012, was confirmed by the VVMC to be illegal, and was built by the landowner and developer without technical advice using substandard materials.

The building, Ramabai Apartment, which housed nearly 50 flats, collapsed at 12.05 am on August 26, crashing onto an adjacent but vacant tenement in the Vijay Nagar area, killing 17 people in the incident. Constructed in 2012, Ramabai Apartment has 50 flats, and the collapsed part had 12 apartments.

The builder of the ill-fated building, a four-storey structure, in Maharashtra's Palghar district, has been arrested by the police after the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) lodged a formal complaint with the police.

(With inputs from PTI)