Aft er oo 1 DOWN, 95MORETOGO
Regd. No. MH/MR/South-160/2012-14 RNI Regn. No. 43675/1985 MUMBAI TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013 32 PAGES `3 Website: www.afternoondc.in
DESPATCH & COURIER
Gold: `30,375 Silver: `50,290 US Dollar: `62.60 Temperature: 280C/250C Humidity: 79%
Health&Fitness Pg13-20
By Vishnudas Sheshrao
T
7-day mourning at BMC
Mayor Sunil Prabhu, on Monday, declared a seven-day mourning period in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as a mark of respect for the victims of the recent BMC building that collapse in Dockyard Road on Friday. 61 people died and 30 were injured in the tragedy. The mayor also directed the civic body to cancel all programmes including felicitation, inauguration and award ceremonies scheduled during the week. Consequently, the annual Ganesh Gaurav Puraskar and felicitation of senior citizens has been cancelled. However, healthcare related programmes, like the weekly health camp and inauguration of a dialysis centre will take place as scheduled.
and C2B (major structural repairs required). A total of 95 buildings have been classified as C1, and most of them are still occupied by civic employees. There are 11 buildings in C2A,
Vishwanath Salian | ADC
he are 95 buildings, owned and maintained by the BMC, which are categorised as more dangerous than the one near Babu Genu market that collapsed last Friday, killing 61 people and injuring another 30. The issue of repairs of most of these buildings is pending due to either alternative accommodation being unavailable or vested interest of some political leaders and officers involved in approving redevelopment, as these all properties are standing on prime and strategic locations in the city. After last Friday’s tragedy, the civic body hurriedly circulated a notice, directing all civic officers and
employees to vacate quarters which are declared as dangerous. However, as there is no provision for alternative accommodation in the civic body, there is no progress happening in any direction. Residents of most of these buildings are Grade IV employees, conservancy workers, and in some instances also officers up to the Deputy Municipal Commissioner level. They are aware about the perils of residing in dangerous buildings, but have no alternative option. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has classified the dilapidated buildings, owned and maintained by it, into C1 (dangerous building, immediately to be vacated), C2A (dangerous building, part of which needs demolition)
Azad Shrivastav | ADC
This is one of the 95 buildings classified as C1. (Dangerous building to be vacated immediately).
the second most dangerous category, while 40 buildings are listed under C2B, as needing major structural repairs. Most of the time, civic officers routinely send ‘vacate’ notices to
Civic staff continue to live in BMC buildings declared more dangerous than the one that collapsed at Dockyard Road
their colleagues or seniors officers in other departments, who are residing in such building. The counterparts religiously reply to the notices, asking for alternative accommodation. A senior officer, who wished not to be named, said, “In 2008-09, there was some proposal for redevelopment of some of the buildings. Resident did not cooperate and complained to the then Municipal Commissioner, as the officer in charge had vested interests and the developer was not credible enough.” vishnudas.sheshrao@afternoondc.in
The Lucky Ones...Pg.2 Money in gutters...Pg.8
From right under their noses! Robbery of 40 cement bags stalls crucial work of reducing gap between platform and train footboard at Khar railway station By Zuber Ansari
F Senior BJP leaders (from left) Ram Naik, Ashish Shelar, Vinod Tawde and Gopinath Munde shared the stage with the party’s prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat CM, Narendra Modi, in Mumbai, yesterday.
or more than a month now, the crucially important work of reducing the gap between the platform and the train footboards at Khar railway station has come to a stop. Railway officials say the disruption is because 40 bags
Unfinished work poses more danger
of cement, being used for the work, were stolen during the second week of August. A senior railway officer at Khar railway station, on condition of anonymity, said, “Around four to five unidentified men committed the crime somewhere around midnight. They had brought a small tempo with them which they parked outside the railway station on the West and Continued on Pg.12 «
A staff nurse at Bhabha Hospital gets manhandled by relative of a patient... Pg.7