BHIWANDI: A person died and seven were injured after the portion of a 15-year-old one-storey godown of an e-tailer collapsed here on Monday morning. The owner was illegally constructing an additional floor and the structure could not bear its weight, an official said. Bhiwandi has many godowns used by e-trailers.
Bhiwandi tehsildar Aadik Patil said he would ask Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the planning authority, to conduct a structural audit of godowns.
The floors of the building, which housed two godowns and were given out on rent to Shadofax Godown Pvt Ltd and Max Infax Pvt Ltd, crashed at 10.12am in Harihar compound at Mankoli.
Narpoli police, Bhiwandi fire brigade, Thane Disaster Response Force and 15 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel rescued seven injured persons and retrieved a body from the debris.
The deceased was Saurabh Tripathi (35), a security guard. Bhavesh Mali, Abhishek Mali, Devendra Patil, Rupesh Patil, Shailesh Tare, Ritik Patil and Kalpana Patil were taken to private hospitals. Of them, Rupesh, Shailesh and Ritik suffered serious injuries.
Ritik, whose leg was stuck below a pillar, was rescued after seven hours. His mother Jaimala told TOI, “My two sons work in the godown. Ajay had not gone on duty.”
Sachin Ratne, a guard posted on night duty who had left for home at 8am, said, “Saurabh was with the company for two years and is survived by wife and a young daughter, who resides in UP, while he was living in a rented home in Bhiwandi.”
Officials said in both godowns at least 70 people work, of which half collapsed, trapping 31 persons.
Regional disaster management cell chief Santosh Kadam, whose team rescued maximum people, said “Of those rescued, one died, three suffered major injuries, while the remaining had minor injuries.”
Staff at the godown said it belongs to Nilesh Patil. Officials said 15 days back he had started adding a floor to a portion of the godown. Assistant commissioner of police (Bhiwandi) Prashant Dhole said, “We are awaiting a report from the planning authority to find out the exact cause. Based on the findings legal action will be taken against those responsible.”
Last September, Jilani building had collapsed, killing 38 persons. A civic probe committee blamed it on negligence on the part of the builder.