BMC Officer Suspended over Mumbai Building Collapse That Killed 13

In 2017, a structural audit on Kesarbai building stated that it had to be evacuated for demolition at the earliest.

About 40 to 50 people are feared trapped under the debris of the Dongri building that collapsed on Tuesday morning.

(Photo: AP)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on Friday, 19 July, suspended Assistant Municipal Commissioner Vivek Rahi in connection with the Kesarbai building collapse in Mumbai that killed 13 people, sources told The Quint.

In 2017, a structural audit of the Kesarbai building that collapsed in Mumbai’s Dongri area on Tuesday, 16 July, stated that the building needs to be evacuated for demolition at the earliest.

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(Source: Audit letter accessed by The Quint)

Part of the building, located in a congested lane in Tandel Street in the densely-populated locality, collapsed around 11:40 am on 16 July, killing at least 13 people and leaving several others trapped.

The notice sent by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) in August 2017 also states that since the building is a cessed property ie a repair fund is levied on it since it was built before 1960, the BMC will not be responsible in the event of any mishap.

Vinod Ghosalkar, chief of the repair board of MHADA, said the building did not belong to the housing body as mentioned by a few locals and a Congress legislator.

Around 15 families were residing in the building, which was a 100 years old.