Mumbai: Noted director and screenwriter Shyam Benegal along with three other people had a narrow escape from death on Tuesday when three huge French window panes of a nearby under-construction building crashed on his car.
Benegal had just reached the Triveni Sangam building located at Peddar Road when the mishap took place.
Benagal along with his driver were just about to get off their car when they heard a crash and something fell on the roof of the car.
On looking out, the two saw broken and shattered glass all over. Right before Benegal's car had entered the area, two building watchmen, Jagdish Prasad and Saket Pandey, were standing at the same spot and moments before had moved towards the building's pump room.
Triveni Sangam authorities have filed a complaint of negligence with Gamdevi police against the developer of the under-construction building.
“My car had just entered the compound. My driver and I were about to get out when we realised that something fell on the car.
"We saw glass all around the car. Fortunately, all the windows were rolled up. And nobody else was standing there. I can't imagine what would have happened if we had stepped out at that time or somebody was standing there'', told Benegal.
The two watchmen, who were standing only moments before Benegal's car entered and the glass fell off, said “a visitor's driver wanted something and we both moved towards the pump-room at the back of the building''.
The residents of Triveni Sangam including Benegal had feared such an incident and had been protesting against the construction of the building which almost touches the compound wall.
Earlier this year in January, the society had written to BMC against violation of Development Control Rules by the developers of the under-construction building.
The residents feared the building would not only increase the risk of fire but also block sunlight and ventilation for their flats. Following the complaint, the BMC had asked the developer to fence safety nets around the building.
The builder of the under-construction building Tejraj Govani was not available. Meanwhile, his legal adviser termed the glass crash as an accident.
