Ulhasnagar: A slab collapse from the fifth floor of a building onto the fourth floor triggered the fourth-floor slab to crash onto the third floor on Tuesday morning.
No one was injured in the incident, but it displaced more than 100 residents from 33 flats in the Shiv Ganga building, which was evacuated and sealed by the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC).
Only one person was sleeping in the hall of the affected portion when the slabs came crashing down around 9 am, and he escaped unhurt.
The city has witnessed several similar incidents in the past, some resulting in fatalities and leaving thousands of residents homeless.
Following the collapse, the municipal administration allowed the residents to take their important belongings before sealing the building.
Assistant municipal commissioner Ganesh Shimpi said the building was constructed in 1995. Shimpi said the building was not on the list of dangerous buildings but, following recent building collapse incidents in the city, the administration had issued a notice directing its occupants to conduct a structural audit.
A resident alleged that after the UMC direction, they had got the audit done and even carried out some repair work, but it was halted in the absence of funds.
Shani Baryani, a resident of the fifth foor of building, said he sensed something was wrong when he noticed vibrations on his floor.
“I was inside my room when I felt the flooring of the hall room vibrating. Initially, I thought some work was being carried out on the floor below. However, when I went downstairs, I found that no work was in progress. I sensed that something could go wrong, and shortly afterwards, a portion of the slab collapsed,” he said.
Neighbourhood residents said most occupants were in their bedroom and several women were in their kitchen when the incident occurred.
The collapse highlighted the vulnerability of several old and unauthorised buildings in Ulhasnagar, particularly those constructed in 1994 and 1995. During that period, numerous buildings allegedly came up without the necessary permissions. In several cases, civic action against unauthorised structures remained incomplete, with only portions of slabs being demolished. Residents and local sources have alleged that some builders subsequently repaired the demolished portions, allowing the structures to continue to be occupied.
The use of poor-quality sand and other substandard construction materials in some buildings has also been cited as a possible factor behind recurring structural failures in the city.
Over the years, the state government has introduced special provisions to facilitate the regularisation and redevelopment of such dangerous buildings in Ulhasnagar, including concessions in regularisation charges. However, many housing societies and residents are yet to complete the legalisation process, leaving occupants in a precarious position.
Redevelopment has also remained a challenge for buildings constructed on government land, as legal and land ownership issues have complicated their redevelopment. With viable redevelopment options unavailable in some cases, residents continue to live in ageing structures despite the risks.
The latest incident has once again raised questions over structural audits, enforcement against unauthorised construction and the pace of redevelopment in Ulhasnagar, where residents of several ageing buildings continue to face uncertainty over their safety and future housing.
