Portion of Army Navy building in Mumbai falls on bus, taxi

BMC has asked owners of the building to not allow anyone to enter the premises. (Express Photo: Nirmal Harindran)

A portion of the facade on the roof of the three-storey Army Navy building at Kala Ghoda collapsed on a passing bus and a taxi reportedly after being struck by lightning Friday. Though no one was injured, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation issued a notice to the owners of the heritage building to not allow anyone to enter the premises until a structural inspection is conducted. The building also houses Westside, a popular apparel store.
The incident occurred around 5 pm after several parts of the city witnessed heavy thundershowers. All occupants were evacuated from the building, a commercial structure owned by the Tata Trust, after the incident.

A portion of the roof first fell on a BEST bus on the road, denting its roof. The passengers were unhurt, but were made to immediately evacuate. A portion of the concrete also fell on a taxi, cracking its rear and front windshield. “Lightning struck first, followed by a loud thunder. I was dropping two passengers to the sessions court. I heard a loud thud on the bus next to me. Some portion of the concrete then fell on my taxi, breaking the windshield. Thankfully, none of us were hurt,” said Mahesh Kumar, the taxi driver.

Other locals noticed that a portion of the facade continued to hang precariously from the roof. They warned people against walking and driving below the building until the fire brigade and traffic officials reached the spot.
Civic officials said they had issued a notice making it mandatory for the owners of the building to carry out an inspection by a registered structural consultant and submit a stability certificate before allowing anyone inside. “Part of the apex stones fell on a bus and a taxi that were passing by. There was some panic among the passengers of the bus but no one was hurt and the building was immediately vacated,” said Kiran Dighavkar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, A Ward.

He said the notice had been sent to the estate manager of the building, adding that the Westside store would have to remain closed until the structural inspection had been completed. The notice also mentioned that an adjoining part of the building was in a “dangerous dilapidated condition” and might fall on the road or on another property. Civic officials have also pasted a poster warning people that the building is dilapidated and that it is unsafe for habitation. While the spokesperson for Tata Trust confirmed the incident, she did not make any further comment.