Mumbai building collapse: ‘I would say it’s murder’

Binita Ramchandani, a resident of the ill-fated building since early childhood, said Mr. Shatap , would claim to be a Shiv Sena leader and create problems for the residents.

Ms. Ramchandani, who presently resides in Hyderabad, told The Hindu, “Thiswas my home since I was three. It is debris now. Mr.Shatap, who claims to be a Sena leader, has challenged residents to act against him on many occasions saying he is connected to top BMC officials. My dad had told him recently to not touch the pillars as it’s an old building, and questioned him about permission from the BMC. He would answer saying we could do as we liked. This is what we, as a family, have gone through; we’ve lost a home.

“Mr. Shatap doesn’t allow residents to park their vehicles inside the building compound. On Tuesday, Dad was trying to park the car outside the building, when he heard a thud. He turned around to see the building collapse. Mom was still in our fourth-floor flat. She survived, but suffered a fracture to her back and some injuries. First the Malishka potholes incident, a woman dying when a coconut tree fell on her, and today my home becoming rubble. What more can we ask for? I would say it’s murder.”

She also posted on Facebook, saying, “There was a commercial usage on the ground and first floor by Mr. Shatap. We faced several issues including water shortage as he had started to use [it] for commercial purpose. We fail to understand who gave him permission and was he paying commercial tax? Yes, it was an old building but how did he start renovating (because at the time of collapse, he has tried to move the pillars ). How did BMC give him permission?

Her parents, Lalchand and Geeta Ramchandani, aged 65 and 58 respectively, are in a state of shock. Mr. Ramchandani, who owns a business, said, “This is a massive loss, I have lost all my money, gold, property. Nothing is left. We carry out repairs every few years, but this incident has happened mainly because of the faulty construction work carried out by Mr. Shatap. Many walls were broken during the ground floor’s renovation.”