Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta on Wednesday issued orders to implement the recommendations of a special inquiry committee that submitted its report into the collapse of Siddhi Sai building in Ghatkopar on July 25, which claimed 17 lives.
The report submitted by the panel headed by Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern suburbs) Vijay Singhal has indicted Sunil Shitap, who was arrested by Parksite police for making structural changes to the ground floor of the building.
Mr. Mehta has directed Mr. Singhal to implement the recommendations within six months and to launch an inquiry against the errant officers. Mr. Mehta also instructed officials to demolish all illegal constructions undertaken by Shitap.
A senior civic official said, “The report includes details of inquiries conducted by the committee and its recommendations to avoid such incidents in the future. The committee has found that a large number of columns and beams were demolished during the renovation of the ground floor, which rendered the building unstable and dangerous for habitation. Further, no structural auditor or advisor was appointed or consulted for this work, which was carried out in an extremely haphazard manner.”
The report further states that residents of the building have confirmed that unauthorised changes were made on a large scale. However, none of them complained to the BMC or the Mumbai Police as they were threatened and intimidated by Shitap.
The committee has also recommended that an inquiry be initiated against the Medical Officer of Health and the Sanitation Inspector of N Ward, as well as the Assistant Engineer of the Building and Factories Department of the ward.
The report states, “While there is no indication of any direct involvement of the officials concerned, an inquiry is needed to confirm if there was any negligence or administrative lapses on their part.”
The other recommendations made in the report include amending the Indian Penal Code to make it a cognisable offence to carry out structural changes to a building that puts the lives of residents at risk and setting up of an independent cell to take action against hazardous structures.