Civic body announces Rs 5 lakh compensation for kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 for injured

The collapse of the building at Ulhasnagar on Tuesday served as an eye-opener for the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC). A day after eight people died and 11 were injured when a portion of Sheesh Mahal building collapsed, ministers and engineers at the general assembly of the UMC have decided to make amends. The UMC has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the deceased in the collapse and Rs 50,000 to the injured.


Poor job: UMC commissioner said that the inferior quality construction
material caused the building collapse. (Inset) Metal rod sticking out of
a pillar of the Sheesh Mahal building.

The UMC also sent a proposal to the government to renovate all other buildings present on the dilapidated structures list. UMC commissioner Ashok Kumar Rankhamb said, "There are around 150 buildings in Ulhasnagar that are on the verge of collapsing. However, Sheesh Mahal was not on the list, but owing to constant drilling and maintenance work, the building may have collapsed."

The commissioner added that as soon as the government passed the proposal, the UMC would start renovation of the Sheesh Mahal. Asked if the accident could have been avoided by acting on the dilapidated buildings list, Rankhamb said, "Nothing can be done to change what has already occurred. The incident happened because of the poor quality of sand being used in construction."

Picking up the pieces
Meanwhile, residents at Sheesh Mahal are trying to sift through the debris and are getting their lives back in order. Ambumal Dusseja, a resident of flat number 402, said, "I was in my room and couldn't feel anything initially, but later I could feel tremors and thought we were hit by an earthquake. It was only later that I heard the screams of people." According to Kiran Dusseja, the entire right wing of Sheesh Mahal collapsed causing flat numbers from 503 to 303 to cave in. However, she was lucky to escape unhurt. She alleged that it was the constant drilling on the terrace to plug the leaks that caused the building to collapse.

Kumar Ailani, a MLA who has been helping people at Sheesh Mahal, too, reiterated the same reason for collapse. "The sand used for construction was of bad quality and was brought from Ulva Bundar. There are 150 such buildings in Ulhasnagar. We are fighting with the government to give them permission for re-construction using a FSI of around four instead of two."