Video | Families, schoolkids forced to stay in building that may collapse any moment, BMC are you listening?
The building, owned by Swadeshi Mills has not been repaired in years due to legal troubles. All court cases aside, who will take responsibility if the building comes down, claiming the lives of families inside?
A video underlining the issue of hundreds of dilapidated buildings in Mumbai has surfaced. The video shows school kids crossing what appears to be a badly broken floor of a building. One may think that this must be a one-off thing. But residents of this building have to do this daily.
The building is in Chunabhatti area in Mumbai. It is owned by now-defunct Swadeshi Mill. One look at the dilapidated structure and we might think that not many people must be staying in this building. However, 123 families have no option but to stay in this building.
Land is perhaps the most prized possession in Mumbai where property prices are ridiculously high. After Swadeshi Mill stopped functioning, legal battles over liquidation of its assets began. Prevailing legal troubles have resulted in absolute neglect of this 70 year-old structure.
Both, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Swadeshi Mills management refuse to give permission for the upkeep of the building due to various legalities. Families of former mill workers are staying in this building that can come down any second.
The building complex is spread over an area of 2.3 acres. Resident are almost begging the authorities to let them redevelop the building on their own. They say that a builder is ready to redevelop the building but without a green signal from the authorities, nothing can be done.
Mumbai and surrounding areas have seen many building collapses over the years. Majority of these buildings have been more than 50 years old and in bad condition. In almost all the cases, families were residing in these buildings which unfortunately meant that many residents died when the structure collapsed.
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