JMC under fire over unsafe buildings

Jaipur: Following the deaths of two people and injuries to several others after a 100-year-old four-storey dilapidated building at Subhash Chowk collapsed past Friday midnight, Jaipur Municipal Corporation-Heritage acting mayor Kusum Yadav faced the ire of local residents when she visited the site Saturday. People directly blamed the municipal administration for failing to take timely action, stating that official negligence led to this tragedy.Rescue teams and municipal workers spent the entire Saturday clearing debris and managing relief efforts at the site. The building collapsed around 1am amid heavy rainfall, leading to the death of Prabhat (33) and his daughter Pihu (5). His wife, Sumitra (27), remains in critical condition at SMS Hospital, suffering from severe spinal injuries as well as fractures in her chest and nose. Several other residents were injured and are currently receiving medical treatment.Sunil Singh Shekhawat, member of Yuva Shakti Manch Rajasthan, said, "The SDM has stated that any compensation eligible under the Disaster Management Fund will be disbursed accordingly. But right now, even in this one lane, there are 2–3 buildings in a similarly dangerous state. If you explore the entire Heritage area, almost 25 buildings in every ward are on the verge of being sealed. The govt must take immediate action, otherwise, today's tragedy could turn into something even worse."Pushpendra Singh Rathore, deputy commissioner (vigilance) of JMC-H, said, "We have been engaged since last night in evacuating people and clearing debris. The building owner was issued notices twice by the municipal corporation, but he chose to ignore them. Today, innocent lives have been lost purely due to this negligence. We act as and when our resources allow, issuing notices and carrying out demolitions gradually."JMC-H commissioner Nidhi Patel said, "It's not that we haven't taken action. At the start of the monsoon, three buildings were demolished after ignoring notices. These are private properties, and the major issue in the walled city is that building owners live elsewhere and leave tenants in charge. A dispute often arises between them, where neither the owner vacates nor the tenant leaves the premises. The corporation has limited resources, especially during the monsoon, so public awareness is also crucial."JMC-H has said that it will provide no formal compensation to the deceased and the injured. However, food and basic facilities for the injured admitted to hospitals will be provided by the corporation. Furthermore, temporary shelter arrangements have been made near the Ward 60 councillor's office for those rendered homeless. Following the tragedy, both JMCs intensified efforts to identify structurally unsafe buildings. Announcements and warning boards were set up, and notices were distributed to residents of such buildings, urging them to remain cautious and vacate unsafe premises.JMC-G commissioner Gaurav Saini stated, "Public safety is our top priority. Any building identified as dangerous to residents or passersby is being dealt with immediately. Announcements and public awareness drives are underway. In case of severe rainfall causing flooding or other safety concerns, citizens can take shelter at municipal-run relief centres."