They were among group of labourers repairing Chippy Chawl near Zaveri Bazaar; one more feared trapped
At least two labourers died yesterday after a portion of a dilapidated building which they were repairing, collapsed near Zaveri Bazar in Kalbadevi. According to officials, one more labourer is feared to be trapped in the debris, and the Fire Brigade's rescue operation is on.
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Firemen's rescue operation is on at the chawl
On Friday around 1 pm, a portion of the five-storey Chippy Chawl at Shamset Street in Zaveri Bazar collapsed. According to officials from the Disaster Management Cell, at the time of incident, 10 labourers were working on the fourth floor, of whom seven managed to escape. Six labourers were working on the first floor, of whom five managed to rush out, but one was stuck in the debris.
Narrow lanes
Fire Brigade personnel found it difficult to carry out a rescue operation due to the narrow lanes and congestion. The Fire Brigade found the bodies of Feroz Khan, 23, and Safay Shaikh, 25. A third labourer, Rocky Shaikh, 21, was shifted to J J Hospital.
The building belongs to Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA) and is under the cessed category. There were 41 tenants, of whom four were residents and 37 were commercial. Last year in October, after a structural audit, MHADA had asked tenants to vacate it. However, they vacated it this year in September. Kalbadevi and Bhuleshwar have the largest number of old and dilapidated buildings that are awaiting repairs or redevelopment.
BMC official says
A BMC official said, "The repair was going on from MLA Deepak Sawant's fund. After the rescue operation is over police will initiate action against the contractors if negligence is found during the work."
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