Residents of Damodar Park, where the Sai Darshan Society building collapsed on Tuesday morning, have blamed Sunil Shatap, who owned the commercial space on the ground floor, for faulty repair work. Residents say this renovation activity led to the crash at 10.40 a.m. on Tuesday, killing 12 and injuring 18.
The ground floor of the four-storey building had been leased out to a maternity home, and was under renovation for a month. Residents said a pillar on the ground floor had been removed during the renovation, which might have led to the building becoming unstable.
Lalchand Ram Chandrani, a fourth-floor resident since 34 years, said, “I had just stepped out of the building. When I turned, it had begun to collapse. My wife was at home but she escaped with minor injuries. 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,”
Satish Rao, a resident of the adjacent Shanti Niketan society, said, “The building was 35 years old and seemed quite sturdy until the construction work began. There was word that the building shook on Monday morning too. When residents spoke to the owner, he promised to look into it. At least 14 families lived in that building.” Santosh Fernandez, chairman, Shanti Niketan society, added, “I think the building was flattened by 10 a.m. We pulled out whoever we could spot.”
Among those who died was Mansukhbhai Gajjar, 75, a carpenter who had visited a third-floor apartment to take measurements. “He was supposed to be in the building for 10-15 minutes. The person responsible must answer,” his relative Anil Soni said.
Deputy Commandant Mahesh Nalavade, National Disaster Response Force, said rain and chaos were impeding rescue efforts. “Many people were trying to help. Rain and traffic isn’t allowing for smooth movement of ambulances, despite help from the Traffic Police. As time passes, the possibility of victims being rescued alive goes down.”