Cops register FIR against contractor and supervisor after building collapses in Mumbai

The LT Marg police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) and booked the supervisor and the contractor of a building at Shamseth Street in Zaveri Bazaar on a charge of culpable homicide, after a slab collapsed in the building last week, killing four.

The 80-year-old building was undergoing repair work under a private contractor and supervisor when it collapsed on December 15. There were 16 labourers at work inside the building at the time of incident.

Sharad Naik, senior police inspector, LT marg said, “They did not undertake the adequate safety measures, which caused the death of the labourers. We have registered the case under sections 304 (culpable homicide) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

A passage on the fourth floor of the building collapsed, bringing down the first, second and third-floor passages too.

Five fire engines and ambulances had arrived at the spot on Friday. Fire brigade officials said rescue operations were delayed owing to congested lanes and the building’s narrow entrance.

Three labourers were pulled out from under the rubble and taken to JJ Hospital on Friday, where they were declared dead on arrival. The fourth casualty was the 50-year-old scrap dealer Barakat Ali, who was pulled out from under the debris around 4 am on December 16.

After the death toll rose to four, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development authority (Mhada) decided to raze the decades-old five-storey building.“As a preventive measure, two vehicles from the Mumbai fire brigade are stationed at the spot. We are now propping up the building by temporarily placing structures to support the slabs. We will later raze the entire structure,” said a Mhada official, who did not wish to be identified.

Locals said many illegal alterations had been made to the structure, which could have led to the collapse. However, Mhada officials said only a final report would help them ascertain the cause of the collapse.