VASAI: A portion of a 12-year-old four-storey unauthorised building, Ramabai Apartment in Virar East, came crashing down early Wednesday, killing 17 people and injuring nine, an indication of the rampant illegal constructions that have mushroomed over years in the Vasai-Virar stretch.Two of the injured have been discharged while the other seven are still undergoing treatment. The dead include six women, eight men and three children. A one-year-old girl’s birthday party had ended on the fourth floor. The child was among the deceased.Ramabai Apartment, located in Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) in Vijay Nagar, Virar East, has around 50 flats and half a dozen shops. The rear side of the building collapsed comprising around 12 flats. The debris also fell on one side of an 8-room chawl built near the base of this building but none from the chawl were injured. The chawl along with another three-storey building was evacuated as only a lane separated these two from the collapsed Ramabai Apartment.Additional commissioner of VVCMC, Sanjay Herwade, who visited the spot said prima facie the construction material used was of an inferior quality and appealed to residents who have received notices to vacate the buildings. All affected families have been temporarily housed at Chandansar Samaj Mandir. Officials admitted the building was illegal and buyers believed it to be legal considering they were paying taxes to VVCMC. “Most of these deals were based on notarised documents,” an official said.The police have arrested the builder, Nittal Gopinath Sane, 47, owner of Sai Dutta Builders and Developers, under provisions of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966, and BNS Section 105.The office of CM Devendra Fadnavis has announced Rs 5 lakh as compensation for the families of those who died. Fadnavis said Virar has a history of issues of illegal, old and dilapidated buildings, poor infrastructure. “We have started taking action as can be seen from the recent Enforcement Directorate raids. We are addressing these issues,” he said.After 41 illegal buildings were demolished in Vasai based on the orders of the court, earlier this month, ED had arrested VVCMC commissioner Anil Pawar an IAS officer, among others, who ED claimed was part of an alleged cartel of civic officers, architects, chartered accountants and intermediaries which set in motion the large-scale illegal constructions in the region.A social worker claimed that last week a portion of a staircase had collapsed and he had informed the developer that the building may collapse but this was ignored by the developer. He also claimed this building had till now received three notices but the developer ignored those as well.The locals were the first who reached the spot and began rescue operation and were later joined by the fire brigade, NDRF and the police. The rescue operations were called off around 2pm Thursday after the last body was pulled out of the rubble. VVCMC has decided to demolish the remaining portion of the building to avoid any further damage to the adjacent buildings.One of the residents said the developer did not share the notices from VVCMC, said they were trying for redevelopment and had even hired a lawyer but the landowner and the developer did not cooperate. Tukaram Shinde, who has been staying in Ramabai Apartment for the past 13 years, said the developer did receive notices from the VVCMC regarding the dilapidated status of the building.Tragedy claims young family of three after child’s first birthdayTragedy struck the Jovil family hours after the first birthday of their daughter, Utkarsha. The collapse of a portion of Ramabai Apartment in Virar East early Wednesday claimed the young family of three that resided on the fourth floor.The bodies of Utkarsha and her mother, Aarohi, 24, were found soon after the tragedy. Her father, Omkar, 27, was missing till his body was recovered on Thursday afternoon, just before the rescue operation was called off.Locals said Omkar was a skilled electrician who “worked hard for his family”.A friend of Omkar said the entire family was excited about their daughter’s first birthday and had invited a lot of people for the celebration. “The family paid attention to all details such as the child’s dress, the cake, and the decoration and were visibly happy in their photograph, which turned out to be the last family photo.” Other friends said Omkar and Aarohi were last seen making sure all guests were attended to.A local resident said almost all guests had left after attending the party, including Omkar’s parents who lived nearby; they left soon after the cake was cut.“Omkar also invited several relatives from Mumbai, as he wanted to make this day grand,” said a friend.
