We slept in a godown: Residents recall nightmare

A week since the Fort building collapse, neighbours recall nightmare, say they live in fear as portions of the crashed structure and precarious state of other buildings pose threat

Tomorrow, it will be one week since a portion of the Bhanushali building at Mint Road, Fort, caved in, and 10 people died. Soon after the incident, the residents of four-storey Kakal building, which stands barely two feet away from Bhanushali, were evacuated as a precautionary measure. But they moved back in only on Saturday; some of them had to spend two nights in an empty office and godown.

No communication
"The residents were told to move out, which was a necessary precaution at the time. Locals also felt bad for those who died in the crash," said Shivendra Parihar whose relatives live in Kakal building. "Kakal building residents were literally on the roads, and they waited for instructions about when they could return to their homes."

Shivendra Parihar, relative of a resident

The building has both shops, offices and flats. The residents were out in the rain, pleading to the authorities for some communication and clarity, when they were informed that they could not step inside the building that night.

Struggle for shelter
Parihar said people had no cash in hand, and with the ongoing pandemic, "where could they go?" "People wanted to help, but societies were not allowing outsiders because of COVID-19. After struggling for long, my relatives were allowed to stay in a flat of a building."

Ranjit Singh, Kakal resident

Another Kakal resident, Ranjit Singh, said, "I first thought of going to Vasai to my home there, but due to COVID-19, the housing society was not allowing any outsiders. Finally, my family and I spent the night in an empty office."

Another resident had to take shelter in a godown. "We tried to contact some hotels, but the numbers were non-functional. Most societies did not allow outsiders. Eventually, my parents and I spent the night in an empty godown," Mahesh Kavugoli said.

A few residents said, "Some political leaders were busy giving news bytes to the media, but did not even address the desperate people who had to vacate their homes."

No roadmap
Kakal residents were allowed to return to their homes after two nights, on the afternoon of July 18, after the building was certified safe. It took some political intervention to get the structural audit done for the certification.

Ganesh Sanap, a former corporator from Shiv Sena, who was at the spot after the collapse, said, "Nobody was willing to take responsibility after the collapse. A structural audit was done only after significant pressure."

BJP's Rahul Narwekar, who was also on site that day, said, "I had to intervene to get the audit done. It was very sad to see Kakal residents struggling. We must have one central, nodal arm handling old, dilapidated buildings. The government needs a roadmap for such incidents, because currently, there is none."

Fears persist
However, the Kakal residents now live in fear. Parihar said, "There are ad hoc reactions to such mishaps. We instead need an overarching policy and a plan of action factoring in old buildings in the city."

Other residents said, "A portion of the broken building is still standing. What if this too caves in and the debris affects our building? Moreover, there are at least two other old buildings next to ours, which look precarious. We are concerned about any recurrence."

MHADA Executive Engineer Sanjay Varade said, "The other portions of the collapsed building are being brought down slowly and in a safe manner. Currently, work is on with utmost care."

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