Among the structures declared dangerous is PMC’s own headquarters; while families gamble with life under crumbling roofs; despite notices being issued before the monsoon, many of these buildings remain occupied, with families still living inside
One of the dilapidated buildings marked dangerous by the Palghar Municipal Council. Pic/by special arrangement
When the Ramabai Apartment in Vasai-Virar collapsed like a pack of cards last week, families ran for their lives, clutching whatever belongings they could save. Now, just 40 kilometres away in Palghar, 49 buildings have been officially declared dangerous by the Palghar Municipal Council (PMC).
Despite notices being issued before the monsoon, many of these buildings remain occupied, with families still living inside. The council has also identified 25 structures that require evacuation and structural repairs, and another 15 that need urgent repairs without evacuation. “Where do we go?” asks a resident of Nandabhuvan building, one of the structures blacklisted by the PMC.
“Every monsoon, we hear the same warning — this building will fall, vacate immediately. But tell me, where do we go?” Like him, hundreds of families continue to gamble with their lives inside buildings already marked unsafe, because survival leaves them no choice.
PMC’s own HQ at risk
The council’s 2025–26 danger list is a chilling roll call: Gujarati School, Faizmal Chawl, Dubey Chawl, Telephone Exchange, Sherbanu Apartment, Brijwasi Hotel, Kaushik Mishra’s building, and even a Zilla Parishad school. Children, patients, and daily wage workers — all pass through these crumbling structures every day.
In the starkest irony, the Palghar Municipal Council’s own headquarters near the railway station is on the list. While its offices have been vacated, shops on the ground floor still operate under the same fragile roof. “It’s shocking,” fumes a nearby shopkeeper. “The same authority that tells us to leave allows business to run from under its own dangerous building — for nearly three years.”
Authorities admit risk
Nanasaheb Kamathe, chief officer of the Palghar Municipal Council, defended the council’s position, “We had already issued notices declaring these buildings dangerous before the monsoon. After Ganpati, the council will conduct a fresh review of all 49 buildings, following which appropriate preventive measures will be taken. Families still residing in some of these structures will be provided with temporary shelter.”
On commercial activity in the council’s own building, he added, “Our offices have been vacated, but some rented shops are still functioning. We will hold discussions with shop owners and ask them to shift.” When pressed about delays, Kamathe admitted, “At present, our focus is divided between Ganesh Chaturthi and election-related work.”
‘A ticking time bomb’
Officials privately admit their enforcement powers are weak. “We have served notices, but some residents refuse to move. Without police and political backing, it is extremely difficult to force action,” said a senior municipal engineer, requesting anonymity. Urban experts, however, are blunt. “This is a ticking time bomb. Every day these structures stand, lives are in danger. Waiting for the next tragedy is not governance — it is negligence,” said an architect. Life under shadow of collapse
For Palghar’s residents, this is not about policy but about survival. Children walk into unsafe schools. Shopkeepers open shutters beneath cracked beams. Families cook dinner under leaking ceilings. Every day, they live with the fear that the next cloudburst, or even a passing truck, could bring the walls crashing down.
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