Three days after a four-storey building collapsed in Dahisar (east) killing seven persons, the police has registered an FIR for allegedly causing death due to negligence against the building’s ex-chairman, secretary, developer (also the owner) and the watchman, whose three close kin were killed in the incident.
The Dahisar police on Tuesday registered the case against Piyush Cooperative Housing Society’s ex-chairman Bhikabhai Nanjibhai Dudhaat (55), secretary Babubhai Vishrambhai Patel (49), developer as well as owner Nemjibhai Gangar alias Shah (65) and watchman Mansingh Lamsal (40), who lost his wife Nandkala Lamsal (35), daughter Pavitraa Lamsal (7) and brother-in-law Lalusingh Sarkhi (22) in the mishap.
The main culprit, the police said, is Gangar, who took the ownership of the property from one Carmen Kagal, back in 1979. He built Piyush, Pallavi and Bhavin buildings on the land.
The BMC in 2010 declared Piyush building as dangerous, and sent notices to vacate the building asking it to be either redeveloped or demolished. An FIR was also registered by the BMC at the Dahisar police station against Gangar in 2011. The matter then went to the Vile Parle court.
Gangar had neither paid the registration fees nor the stamp duty back then, the police said. If Gangar had given the conveyance and the NOC to the local residents, they could have given it to another developer.
“Lamsal has been the watchman of the building for three years and he should have not allowed his family members to stay there, being fully aware of its condition. His family had come barely a week ago from the village to meet him. Patel and Dudhaat knew that notices had been served by the BMC, but did not act on it for years,” said investigating officer, sub-inspector Vijay Shingade.