Bhiwandi building crash probe blames civic officials, builder

BHIWANDI: The civic committee set up to probe Bhiwandi’s Jilani building collapse last month that claimed 38 lives has found negligence on part of the builder and flat owners for lack of repairs, and ward level officers who did not issue a proper notice to get the structure vacated in time.
The committee, in its report submitted on Friday evening, has held some civic officials responsible, including an assistant municipal commissioner who was suspended after the September 21crash.
Dr Pankaj Ashiya, commissioner of Bhiwandi-Nizampura Municipal Corporation, had formed a committee headed by Omprakash Divte, an additional municipal commissioner, to find those responsible for the crash and to give recommendations on steps to be taken to avoid a similar tragedy in future.
The committee found Jilani building, constructed by Sayyed Jilani, came into existence in 1975 when the Patel Compound area where it stood was under the gram panchayat. It did not find any record of permission obtained from the gram panchayat for construction.
The report states it did not find any records of repair work done, which is required on a periodic basis in case of old and dilapidated buildings. It states according to state orders issued in March and April, responsible officials from each ward must carry out an inspection and prepare a list of such dangerous and very dangerous buildings to get them vacated. In the Jilani building crash, the officials had not done the needful, it said. Police approached the civic body for the report to make arrests.