BMC Sends Notice to 500 ‘Inhabitable’ Buildings to Avert Disaster

Mumbai recorded the highest number of building collapses with 118 cases among 53 cities in India in 2013.

With monsoon just round the corner, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued notices to occupants of about 500 buildings to vacate the property as they have been declared unfit for occupation.

However, the BMC is struggling to get these occupants to vacate due to various issues, including court cases clouding the property, protests and technical issues, reported The Mumbai Mirror.

According to the report, the anti-encroachment department of the corporation had identified that the city has 816 buildings in ‘extremely dilapidated’ condition as on 27 April 2017.

The suburbs of Kurla topped this list of areas with buildings that are unfit for occupation with 113 buildings, followed by eastern suburb Ghatkopar with 80 buildings. The Matunga-Wadala stretch had a total of 77 buildings that weren’t in the condition to be occupied.

In some cases, residents have managed to get a stay from the court, while in a few cases the BMC’s technical advisory committee is yet to take a call.

BMC Official to Mumbai Mirror

A report by the India’s National Crime Records Bureau, for the year 2013, shows that Mumbai has the highest number of building collapses with 118 cases among 53 cities in India.

The civic body follows the practice of categorising dilapidated buildings into C1, C2 and C3 categories. Structures that have the potential to be repaired and have a life term for the next few years are categorised C3 and those that need some structural help are labelled C2. Buildings are tagged C1 if they are beyond repair and need to be demolished immediately.

While the corporation has already demolished 196 structures and vacated 134 of the 816 buildings identified, the BMC has set itself a goal to pull down 134 buildings by 31 May.

The report suggests that the process of bringing down the building is a “complicated process,” with people inhabiting the buildings refusing to move out despite being aware of the dangers associated with living in the dilapidated structures.

If the residents refuse to move despite all levels of notices issued, the BMC disconnects their water and electric supply. Further, police are called on to facilitate the evacuation and demolition process.

(With inputs from The Mumbai Mirror)