Mahad building crash: What about us, ask other tenants

The residents of Tarique Garden mdash which collapsed on August 25 killing 16 people and injuring nine in Mahad mdash lost everything in the collapse But while flat owners could get compensation from the government the overlooked other residents the tenants who have also lost their belongings valuables and documents in the collapse will get nothingLocal political leaders have announced that they will try to seek special cabinet permission for at least R3 lakh compensation to flat owners According to a resident of the illfated building Out of 40 flats nearly 27 were occupied by tenants Unfortunately people have lost lives and some are injured But no one is talking or bothered about the tenants futureWe have nothing leftMy mother Farida 52 wife Afreen 26 and two children Azhar 5 and Ziyan 2 are alive only because of Naveed Duste Most of the residents are also alive only because of Naveed said Samir Pore 31 who was staying in a rented flat since July 2018Other than the clothes we were wearing we have nothing left Our utensils documents gold ornaments cash around R55000 everything has gone All our government identity cards such as PAN card Aadhaar card other important documents everything is lost Where do we go now from here We should not be ignored we should also get compensation said Samir who paid R8000 as monthly rentIrfan Joglikar 52 was a tenant for the past two months He and his family were fortunate to surviveA driver with a petroleum company Irfan lost his job few months ago I paid R8000 as rent The money was the only source of income for the old widow the owner of the flat who has lost everything in the crash I have lost all my belongings along with gold and cash which I had kept for my daughters wedding But I have to be strong We need compensation he saidThe troubles go onWhile some of the tenants and flat owners have moved in with relatives or friends around eight families were given temporary accommodation in a nearby municipal councilowned premisesBut their troubles continue One family who tried to get a cooking gas connection for the temporary address was forced to run from pillartopost as the supplier insisted a new gas connection should be taken as he could not deliver on the basis of the old address Tarique Garden as it doesnt existSamir Pore a tenantSamir added We have just got the panchnama copy from the police station stating that with all our new applications seeking duplicate documents and fresh cylinder connections the copy of the panchanama can be attached and the process could begin Instead of making us run from pillartopost it would have been better had the district administration started a single window system within the Mahad revenue office or Municipal Council building for us affected residentsThe other sideGovernment officials informed midday that building collapses do not come under the purview of natural calamity These are accidents which are private in nature so there are very little chances that those who were staying in Tarqiue Garden would get compensatedThe residents want the district administration to provide a single window system to apply for duplicate documents Nidhi Choudhary district collector Raigad said about the same The needful can be done and the same will be discussed with concerned revenue officialsShe has appealed to people to come forward to contribute in the district relief fund till September 15 and the proceeds from it will be given to the occupants of Tarique GardenExpert speakAdvocate Vinod Sampat founder president of Cooperative Society Residents Association said One should not forget the fact that the tenant has paid security deposit as well as rent to the landlord It is incorrect on the part of the government to discriminate between the tenant and flat owner The building has crashed because of the inefficiency of government officials and the builder In my view tenants are also fairly entitled for compensationAlso ReadMahad building crash Community to take construction work in own handsResidents unable to sleepMany of the survivors are going through post traumatic disorder symptoms with nightmares etc Samir said he has been unable to sleep I go to bed but suddenly I wake up fearing the building is shaking or that it will collapse he said Dr Vishal Sawant consulting psychiatrist said The residents might have been going through psychological distress due to the COVID19 pandemic and the collapse added to further traumatic experiences which need to be taken care ofHe added The local district administration should organise a psychological screening camp for the residents The possibility of pathological anxiety or depressive or posttraumatic stress disorder cannot be ruled out And especially for those who have lost their loved ones there should be mandatory grief counsellingWant to donateDisaster Response Fund Raigad Ac No ndash 38222872300State Bank of IndiaIFSC Code SBIN0000308Keep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai 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