Friday 17 / May / 2024
Mumbai: Indian police on Wednesday arrested the owner of several apartments in a four-storey building that collapsed in Mumbai killing 17 people, an official said, adding the cause of the disaster was likely unauthorised renovation.
Sunil Shitap, whose wife contested municipal elections this year for the Shiv Sena regional political party, was charged with culpable homicide, the official said.
The death toll from the Tuesday collapse of the 40-year-old building in the eastern suburbs of India's financial hub more than doubled overnight to 17 as rescuers removed debris, a fire official said.
The building housed a nursing home on the ground floor and three to four families on each of the other floors.
Media reported that Shitap owned all the ground floor apartments at the site and had converted them into a nursing home.
He had been conducting renovations at the building ahead of the collapse.
Shitap was not immediately reachable for comment over the phone.
On Tuesday, the Maharashtra state chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, visited the site and assured action would be taken against those responsible for the tragedy.
"The building wasn't on the list of dilapidated buildings," Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar told reporters on Tuesday."We will investigate whether the building fell because of an alteration in the structure."
In 2013, 145 people were killed in three separate building collapses around Mumbai, on India's western coast, the highest toll in recent years.
Meanwhile, the building collapse figured in the Maharashtra Assembly with the Congress and the NCP demanding stringent action against those responsible.
The opposition stuck to its demand for an immediate discussion on the incident and forced the House to be adjourned thrice after rejecting the government's proposal to take up the matter later in the day.
The opposition targeted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over the incident alleging that the Shiv Sena-ruled civic body had turned a blind eye to the complaints of the residents about the unauthorised works being carried out on the ground floor of the building.
They repeatedly referred to the arrest of Shiv Sena worker Sunil Shitap in connection with the building collapse.
Leader of the Opposition, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, charged that the BMC has become 'a private limited company' which protects the interest of a handful of people.
"The BMC should become a public service body that will protect the interest of the common man," he said.
In a dig at the Shiv Sena, which rules the civic body, he said, "There are some people in the power who are responsible for this tragic accident."
He wanted the government to take stern action against everybody involved in it and asked the ruling BJP not to try to protect its ally (Shiv Sena) in the matter.
Ajit Pawar of the NCP wanted those responsible for the building collapse to be charged with culpable homicide.
"Sunil Shitap (arrested in connection with the building collapse) is said to have links with the Shiv Sena and he has misused his clout to make changes in the building," Pawar said.
NCP member Jitendra Avhad said, "It is the negligence and carelessness of the BMC staff that has led to the building collapse."
BJP MLA Raj Purohit said the residents of the collapsed building had earlier met the civic officials to complain about the renovation going on there but they were allegedly threatened by Shitap.
At the outset, the opposition demanded an immediate discussion and a statement from the government on the incident.
The government, however, proposed to hold the discussion later in the afternoon.
Vikhe Patil sought to know what was the reason behind the delay in making a statement on the floor of the House over the incident.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Girish Bapat said, "The government is willing to make a statement followed by discussion on the issue at 4 pm. If the opposition accepts the proposal, we can do so."
However, opposition parties refused to accept the suggestion and stuck to the demand for an immediate discussion over the incident.
Amid the din, the chair adjourned the House twice for 10 minutes each and then for another 15 minutes.
