Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) started the structural audit of Tulsi Bhawan in Nerul where the slab of the third floor caved in when labourers were removing tiles from the floor. The report of the structural audit is likely to come in two to three days.
According to official, the five wings of Tulsi Bhawan at sector 6 in Sarsole village in Nerul were given an occupation certificate in 1998 and there were no reports of any structural problems.
Meanwhile, residents of all three wings have been evacuated and shifted to the nearby community centre and Gurudwara.
Unraveling the details
According to civic officials, the incident happened when labourers were removing tiles from the third floor of the hall of the flat. “Three labourers were working and when the slab caved in, one of them moved away. However, two of them fell,” said the official, adding that one resident and one labour died. At present, two persons including one labour are in ICU at DR D Y Patil Hospital in Nerul.
A civic official said that the decision regarding declaring the building dangerous to live in will be decided after the report of the structural audit comes. However, he added that the building had all the permissions and received an occupation certificate in 1998.
The need to bring about regulation changes for structural audits
Suraj Patil, a former corporator of the area said that there is a need for change in regulations for structural audits. “There are small housing societies and they do not have adequate funds to conduct a structural audit. The civic body needs to come out with a solution,” said Patil. He added that last year, a similar incident was reported at the Jimmy Park building in sector 17 in Nerul where four floors were caved in and one person died.
Patil also pointed out one of the major reasons for such incidents. “The repeated internal work in the building makes it weaker. On the day of the incident, labourers had been working since morning and a repeated hammer might have damaged the structure of the building and it caved in,” said Patil, adding that instead of repairing again and again, they should for redevelopment and saving life which is more important.
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