Mahad building crash: Community to take construction work in own hands

Tarique Garden in Mahad before the crash

Konkanis settled abroad have formed a core group of experts - Konkan Emergency Disaster Committee - to get volunteers, experts in civil and structural engineering and architects, and also train local youth to work with contractors and closely monitor all future construction activities in the area. The experts will also check the existing structures for damages, with help from the district administration.

The first meeting of the core team was held on August 29. They will soon be formulating their first draft guidelines for the same. The concept is the brainchild of Farooq Subedhar, former councillor of city of Leicester and current honorary Alderman of City of Leicester, UK.

Speaking to mid-day, from the UK, Subedhar said, "Konkan had unprecedented disasters in past two months, first the Cyclone Nisarga, then wrestling with Covid19 increases in all over Kokan and then this tragedy in Mahad, where overnight families literally lost lives n become homeless and destitute."

Subedhar, who hails from Anganwada, Mhasla, said, "What happened in Mahad is a tragedy, which needs to be investigated and audited similar building works within Kokan, as the recent development of 15 to 20 years in Kokan, lots of construction work has taken place, this is just one such building."

Subedhar, added, "I was first Maharashtrian elected as County Councillor in 1991, and also served on Police Authority and various NGO's and Government Advisory Board. We have already had our first meeting with the core members, and are in the process of discussing with various NGOs and Trusts in Konkan, to make this a reality at the earliest."

A four-year-old boy was pulled out of the debris 15 hours after the collapse

Another member of the core group, Kahlid Mukadam, who works in Dubai with a part-government company, is currently at his hometown Chiplun. He would be doing the groundwork, which he intends on completing within the next three weeks, before returning to Dubai.

Speaking to mid-day, he said, "The external scars, might heal over the period of time, but the emotional trauma, that they (residents of Tarqiue Garden) will have to live with, is unbelievable. We do not want such happenings, in the future and therefore we are intending to have the core committee who will run "Kokan Emergency Disaster Committee," members of which will work closely with the district administration and local bodies.

Mukadam added, "Konkan has seen heavy migration of people in last two and half decades. Specifically people moving from villages to nearby cities like Ratnagiri, Chiplun, Mahad etc for education and for improved health facilities. Most of them, who migrated to these places either invested in new flats or continued to stay in rented flats, giving steep rise to mushrooming construction activities, here."

Konkan, the land of small houses with terracotta roof suddenly started witnessing residential building all around. Almost everywhere you would see, so many hoardings showcasing new construction projects. The demand was high and the supply was less during initial days, hence many choose to become builders to ensure the demand is met. Also the construction line was very lucrative as it had good returns on investment for builder lobby, explained Mukadam.

Poor quality material

He further said, "Few builders started using poor quality material, constructing more than the allocated FSI and making poor designs to have more saleable area and in turn to increase profits. The buyers trusted the builders and bought their houses. The end result is what happened to the Mahad building."

When asked how the core group would be functioning from abroad, Mukadam said, "We will be providing the financial and knowledge support to the core group members working with us in Konkan. Also, we will be providing them with international safety practice and norms that is followed especially with construction activities, which can be adhered to at ground level, even in Konkan."

We are in touch with various NGOs and trust, who are willing to join hands with us in this public moment viz The Anjuman Dardamanda e Talim Wa Taraqqi, a trust, which is existing for last two decades and has over 22 centres from Panvel to Sindhudurg, provide financial support to over 4000 widows, and provide educational support to many children, through these centres.

The trust recently, posted the Tarqiue Garden, building collapse, also got support from "Konkan Welfare Society, Kuwait" for providing immediate relief support for the people affected due to building collapse.

'Good initiative'

Confirming to mid-day that they had a discussion with Mukadam regarding the initiative, Mufti Rafiq Purkar, president of Anujman Dardmandan e Talim wa Taraqqi, a trust-based in Mahad, said, "It is a good initiative but we must understand that it will cover a vast area of Konkan, and will take some time to become a reality, as we need volunteers and specialised experts, who are willing to share their expertise. Had such a committee already existed, the Tarique Garden could have been averted."

Nizamudddin Jalal, a social activist from Mahad, said, "It is a welcome move to have such an organisation in the Konkan region comprising Konkani people settled overseas. However, the need of the hour, according to some people from Mahad is that as a community we should file a PIL in the Bombay High Court." Jalal added, "The court needs to give directives that apart from giving permission for construction work, the local municipal council and district administration should also monitor the work. Tarique Garden stood on marshy land and the builder had not laid its foundation as per norms. Also, inferior quality construction material and steel were used, which led to the crash within seven years of the building getting an Occupation Certificate. This clearly shows that even though the building was not dilapidated, it still crashed."

"And this only shows that those responsible to sanction and inspect quality construction work on behalf of local administration, looked another side, as the construction work happened and now they say, the local administration only sanctions plan and do not check the quality of material used, for construction, which is absolutely wrong," he concluded.

The other side

Raigad district collector Nidhi Choudhary said, "Small municipal councils like Mahad do not have enough manpower to get all buildings audited, hence the move by Konkan Emergency Disaster Committee is a very welcome one. They can collaborate with the administration in ensuring a safe city for all."

Also Read: Mahad building crash: Naveed risked his life to save us, he is real hero, say residents

Dos and dont's of property purchase

Advocate Vinod Sampat, founder president of Cooperative Societies Residents' Association, has listed a few points that people should look into before investing in any project

. Check reputation of the builder. Take a bank loan on the property
. Property should be on a plot, which is not marshy or salt land
. Check track record of the builder so that due diligence can be done in a better manner
. Verify exact carpet area. Don't trust builder or the estate agent
. Link payment to the progress in construction work. Ensure there are no past dues and obtain No-Due certificate from the municipal authority
. Get the agreement checked from a reputed advocate. Check the track record of the builder's professionals, specifically architect, structural engineer and advocate.
.Ensure that there are no liabilities on the property. The builder should have a clear and marketable title of the property
. Give importance to the advocate certificate and the advocate must have a decent standing and also who has been given a title certificate

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