With preliminary reports indicating that renovation work being carried out in a shop on the ground and first floors of Yusuf Manzil on Lamington Road was responsible for the buildiing to collapse yesterday, the police have filed a case of attempt to culpable homicide against Yusuf Memon and his son Irfan, the owners of the shop Janta Electronic Store. The two are absconding.
With preliminary reports indicating that renovation work being carried out in a shop on the ground and first floors of Yusuf Manzil on Lamington Road was responsible for the buildiing to collapse yesterday, the police have filed a case of attempt to culpable homicide against Yusuf Memon and his son Irfan, the owners of the shop Janta Electronic Store. The two are absconding.
Said Hakim Khambhati (63), son of the landlady Zubeida who died in the collapse, "The Memons didn't have my permission.
Four months ago, I had complained to MHADA who refused to take action saying they didn't have police protection. And the D B Marg police refused, saying MHADA wasn't taking any initiative.
In March, the Menons removed a staircase. They still hadn't replaced it.
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I am quite sure they must have tinkered with the plinth of the building, because of which a portion of the building caved in. They were doing the renovation work with the shutters down."
He also claimed to have spoken to Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak about this. Phatak had assured him that legal action would be taken against the Memons.
The D B Marg Police confirmed that the FIR had been registered against Yusuf and Irfan Menon and stringent action would be initiated if it were found that the renovation work had indeed caused the collapse.
The Other Side
A MHADA spokesperson refuted Hakim Khambhati's allegations and said that it was they who helped the Yusuf Manzil's residents file a complaint against the Menons on March 25.
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With inputs from Varun Singh, Ketan Ranga and Bipin Kumar Singh
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