Shaky foundation: Mumbai has 677 'extremely dilapidated' buildings

The Bhiwandi tragedy should serve as a wake-up call for Mumbai. Of the 715 ‘extremely dilapidated' buildings in Mumbai, only 38 have been demolished.

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Prosecution proceedings have been initiated against only 158 dilapidated buildings. File pic

Worse, prosecution proceedings against only 158 dilapidated buildings have been initiated over the past year. Adamant tenants continue to occupy such buildings despite repeat evacuation notices, endangering theirs and others' lives.

In Mumbai city limits, too, there are a large number of buildings more than 70-80 years old. The economically-backward pockets of South Mumbai, especially, have numerous dilapidated buildings and chawls.

As per procedure, the BMC identifies such buildings before the monsoon and splits them into three categorises - extremely dilapidated (C1), dilapidated but can last with repairs (C2), and minor repairs needed (C3).

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According to data from the civic removal of encroachment department, the city has around 715 C1 category buildings, around 2,900 buildings in the C2 category and around 800 C3 category ones. These include government, municipal and private buildings.

The procedure stipulates that a dilapidated building be sent a notice, following which the owner/occupier is expected to conduct a structural audit.

If the audit confirms that the building is dilapidated, the BMC issues a demolition notice to the owner(s). If occupants fail to vacate the premises, despite an audit report declaring the building dilapidated, the civic body should initiate prosecution proceedings against them under Section 475 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act. But, records show that only 158 buildings have been prosecuted under this section over the last year.