‘Need to focus on redevelopment’, says Bandra East MLA after wall collapse incident

Local MLA Zeeshan Siddique (in white kurta) at the site

In a grim warning for the upcoming season, a portion of a Bandra (E) building collapsed on Monday morning, killing one and injuring five. While the area is a mix of chawls, rows of dilapidated residential accommodation, upscale office space and new, spiffy residences, it is still the poor cousin compared to the glitzier Bandra West. Zeeshan Siddique, Bandra East MLA, talks about the collapse and the wider problems of the suburb.

A portion of a structure collapsed on Monday morning. What happens to the remaining part?
Debris has to be cleared on priority. There is a bent portion that is hanging precariously and has to be removed. Debris will fall from there too as it is removed.

What was the cause of this?
We will know if it was the heavy rains or some fault/weakness in the structure after a structural audit. I was alerted via phone at 1.30 am on Monday, was at the site by 2 am, the young man who died was a migrant. His employer of a warehouse gave us a telephone number and we were trying to reach his uncle in Bihar. A mother and two brothers were injured, they are at the KEM Hospital.

This tragedy aside, Bandra East has so has so much old, decrepit housing...
There have been builders who have promised tenants that they will redevelop these buildings but they are perennially in transit camps. The Golibaar transit camp, where residents had been promised accommodation 22 years ago, is one such example. People live in appalling conditions there. I have raised the issue in the Assembly. I have suggested that the security deposit that this builder has given to the Slum Rehabilitation Authority be forfeited and used for bettering the conditions in the camps.

Also Read: No survey or actions against residents: Ward officer on Bandra wall collapse

Look at the condition near Bandra East station, in your constituency, slums have three floors, the few that were demolished years ago, debris is still lying there. Why were they allowed to mushroom?
We cannot demolish people's homes with them having nowhere to go. There are builders who have defaulted on their promises. We need to work on redevelopment rather than ouster of the people.

Though there are problems in Bandra West, they are not on the same scale as the East, which remains a poor cousin compared to its spiffier sibling across.
Yes, it is unfortunately the poor cousin. It has been neglected and we have the current Chief Minister of Maharashtra living here.

What have you done infrastructure-wise for the area, you are the elected representative, you cannot be helpless like other citizens...
I have, first of all, made public toilets in Bharat Nagar, Behrampada, Shantilal Compound as that was the need of the people. I want to see that redevelopment is pushed through. I will take the matter up once again in the Assembly, Covid has been a setback but once we are back to normal, I have to take up the housing issue.

The area remains the worst affected in the rains. Reassurance about desilting and cleaning nullahs comes to zilch with the first floods and Bandra East suffering...
The Mithi River is unfortunately the Mithi Nullah. There is a huge budget for cleaning and I was supposed to have a meeting with Guardian Minister of the suburbs Aaditya Thackeray, who said there are some high-tech cleaning solutions that have been planned. During the monsoon, the Mithi river water literally comes into the homes of people from Dyaneshwar Nagar. I had said we must build a wall so that the water cannot get in…

You are giving suggestions, but people have voted for you to see real action and change, not talk
I have a vision and mission but it was just a couple of months after I was elected that Covid struck. This has affected the timeline. I understand that people want answers from me, and I have to give them those answers.