House collapse kills two, injures 4 in Laxminagar

In a slum area of Ulhasnagar, a house collapsed and fell on three other houses on Sunday morning

Illegal constructions in a hilly area of Laxminagar have once again exposed the dangers that have been looming over the last couple of years. Two people died, while four others were injured, after a house collapsed and fell on three other houses near Mharal ground in Ulhasnagar around 5 am on Sunday. The injured includes a pregnant woman, who is currently undergoing treatment at Central Hospital.

The injured, which includes a pregnant woman, have been admitted to Central Hospital. Pics/Navneet Barhate

The deceased have been identified as Sharfuddin Shaikh, 45, and Mohammed Islam, 50. "Both of them had suffered serious injuries. The four who have been injured includes Parvesh Banshal Singh, 26, Firdous Ismail Shaikh, 38, Khushboo Sharfuddin Shaikh, 16, and Nimal Parvesh Singh, 28. They have been admitted to the Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar," said a fire department official.

According to sources, a number of illegal constructions have come up in the slum area of Laxminagar over the past couple of years. Though the Mharal locals had complained about the matter to the local gram panchayat, no action was taken against the culprits. "Negligence of the authorities concerned and illegal constructions, are the prime reasons behind the incident. Almost everybody was sleeping when the house collapsed," said a local on condition of anonymity.

However, after visiting the spot and meeting the injured at the hospital, Eknath Shinde, cabinet minister, declared R4 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased.