Esplanade tenants refuse to vacate their 'great property'

MUMBAI: Shops in Esplanade Mansion continued to operate on Monday, a day after balconies on three floors of the building crashed. Tenants said they would not vacate the building even though power was cut after Sunday's incident. On Monday, the lane along the structure leading towards Oval Maidan was closed. Peshkar Gond, who owns a sugarcane stall opposite Esplanade, witnessed Sunday's incident, in which a taxi was crushed. "The taxi driver had a narrow escape," he said.Rajesh Singh, an advocate who has his office on the first floor of the building, said, "The portions that have collapsed were on extensions that were added to the building over the years. The basic structure is still safe. We have a structural audit report which says so." He said he had been in the building since 2000 and that there was no danger of its collapse.Rishi Gupta, a tenant who runs a spare parts business, said he had "bought" his place in the 1970s. "This is a great property. I, a pagdi tenant, will not leave it. Neither do I find it unsafe," he said.