Raigad building collapse: Residents warned that building was shaky

Probe ordered after residents say they alerted the builder about peeling plasters just hours before it crashed

A high-level probe has been initiated in the crash of Tariq Garden ( a ground plus five-storey) residential building located in Kharkan Muhalla, Mahad district, which claimed 12 lives. According to locals, the builder had been evading the pleas of residents staying in the building about the shoddy construction work, which included plaster peeling off the pillars. This was photographed by residents of the ill-fated building on Monday morning, few hours before it came crashing down around 7 pm.

Many people are feared trapped inside the debris. Sarkar Jalal, a resident of Mahad, who had relatives staying in Tariq Garden (they were fortunate to have left the building hours before it fell) and some residents had captured pictures of the pillars before the collapse. "This is nothing but the result of shoddy work by the builder, who used substandard materials such as steel, cement and sand, and poor workmanship," he said.

A picture taken of the pillars by residents a few hours before the crash

"Though residents kept pursuing the builder for the formation of a society, and also complained about the shoddy work to him, he never bothered about it. It is not clear if any resident made any formal complaint with the local municipal council. A high-level probe should be carried out, so that all those responsible are punished," added Jalal.

District collector Nidhi Choudhary said, "I have been at the spot since Monday evening and have been told that residents of the building had been raising their concerns about the poor construction materials used with the Mumbra-based builder, Farooq Qazi, of M/s Kohinoor Developers. However no formal complaints was made to the Chief Officer, at the Municipal Council (Category 'C'), Mahad, about this as per our knowledge, but we are still checking the same."

She, added, "Preliminary inquiries have revealed that the builder had obtained all necessary permissions required for the construction work, the plan of the building was approved as per norms, and moreover, the land was not disputed. The commencement certificate was issued in the year 2011 and the Occupation Certificate was issued in the year 2013 after completion of the construction work."

When asked if the municipal council engineer had checked the materials used, the collector said that the as per the practice all over, that is the sanctioning authority's work is limited to sanctioning of proposed construction plans, as per the structural engineer and architect's drawings and ensuring that all the civic norms are followed during the construction. However, the type of material used is not looked at, as it is believed that the construction work would be done as per the norms laid down by the national building code.

On the dilapidated buildings in Raigad district, Choudhary said, "We have around 500 buildings in dilapidated list in the district, but this building was not in that list."

Also Read: Raigad building collapse: Saw pillars crumbling before I ran out, says survivor

Substandard materials

A preliminary inspection of the debris has revealed that the quality of construction materials used were of substandard quality. The collector confirmed the same and said, "The cement, sand and steel used in the construction work will be sent for analysis to IIT or VJTI, Mumbai for examination. We will get to the bottom of this and have already filed a case of culpable homicide against the builder, RCC consultant, architect and others."

The government has announced a payment of R5 lakh to the kin of the dead and will bear the expenses of treatment of those who sustained injuries in the mishap.

Experts speak

Advocate Vinod Sampat, founder president of Cooperative Societies Residents' Association, said, "The building was constructed on marshy land near Habus Talao. The absence of plinth beams seems to be the real reason and heavy rainfall the immediate cause of the collapse. Rigorous monitoring of work by professionals, oversight of approvals by local authorities and above all continuous training of designers and contractors must be done to ensure such mishaps don't happen again."

Advocate Godfrey Pimenta, who is also trustee of Watch Dog Foundation, said, "The construction appears to be totally substandard. Those who give the approvals at the municipal council levels do not have the competency to check the high-rises being constructed, as per the national building code norms. So the structural engineer's stability report should be insisted upon. It was not issued for this building, even though the Occupation Certificate was issued, seven years ago."

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