Mumbra building collapse: Mumbra is historically illegal, says Thane municipal commissioner

ldquoMumbra is historically illegalrdquo the words of R A Rajeev the municipal commissioner of Thane speak volumes A day after the collapse of a sevenstoreyed structure in Mumbra took 48 lives and counting and left many homeless and bereft Rajeev claimed that most of the buildings in Mumbra are illegal and in spite of him having informed the state government of the same no action has been taken yet against the errant builders Photos Manmade mayhem shocks Mumbra ldquoAfter I joined here I had sent a proposal to the state government saying that something needs to be done for Mumbra and that redevelopment is the only solution which needs to be undertaken soon Haphazard construction has taken place in this areardquo said Rajeev After being appointed the commissioner of Thane Municipal Corporation Rajeev claims he initiated action against a slew of builders in Thane even the ones with political clout Asked why he couldnrsquot do anything in Mumbra Rajeevrsquos reply was prompt ldquoMumbra is historically illegal and most of the buildings here is illegalrdquo Photos Similar disasters that took place in Mumbai He claims that his men in the area have been sending notices to illegal buildings and even in the case of the building that collapsed on Thursday they had sent a notice to the builder for violation of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning MRTP Act He added that notices were also sent to the officers of the forest department but no action was initiated ldquoStrict action has been taken against municipal authorities of Mumbra for not keeping illegal construction in check we also request the government to take action against the forest officials who let construction take placerdquo said Rajeev Other stories on Thane building collapse Mumbra building collapse Skipping tuition class saved 4yearold39s life Mumbra building collapse Panicstricken locals desert houses Mumbra building collapse Survivors struggle to put the pieces together Mumbra building collapse 40yearold woman labourer succumbs after amputation Mumbra building collapse No dignity for the dead in rescue operations Mumbra building collapse Deputy civic chief axed Mumbra building collapse Builders booked remain on the run Mumbra building collapse How an illegal building came down like a pack of cards Rajeev claims that he has followed up with the government on redevelopment of Mumbra several times but with no outcome Another municipal officer when asked whether a probe or survey would be initiated on the number of illegal structures in Mumbra replied ldquoMore than 90 per cent buildings in Mumbra are illegal and this is a known fact So what purpose would a survey serverdquo 39Our Mumbai doesnrsquot have illegal buildings like the ones in Shil Phatarsquo Mayor Sunil Prabhu insisted that Mumbai doesnrsquot have structures that are illegal from top to bottom like the ones in Mumbra While the tragic building collapse in Mumbra has made residents of the city wonder how safe they are even in their own homes the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation would have us believe that there are no illegal structures in the city like there are in Mumbra This in spite of the fact that the civic agency receives thousands of complaints every year about structural changes made to buildings without permission The cavein has caused panic among residents of a city where construction is a constant In the wake of the collapse the mayor has asked the BMC to take special note of the scores of buildings in the city that are in a severely dilapidated condition Mayor Sunil Prabhu said ldquoOur city doesnrsquot have any such structures like the ones in Shil Phata where the entire structure is illegal from top to bottom Our problem is more of dilapidated buildings which need to be vacated I have asked the administration to take immediate cognisance of this matter A structural audit of all the buildings will be taken before the monsoonrdquo The usual complaints that the BMC receives are about illegally added floors extended balconies shifted toilets and bathrooms shifted beams and columns A ward officer of Kwest ward Vishvas Shankarwar said ldquoThere are no such illegal structures in my ward and I am sure there are none in the city either The complaints regarding structural changes are being addressed on a regular basis and we are on an alertrdquo The power to label a structure as illegal rests with the ward officer and the complaints are followed up by assistant engineers of BMCrsquos building and factory department which functions at a ward level There are about 268 private buildings that are in dilapidated condition and need to be evacuated According to BMC figures only five out of these buildings have been vacated so far