Ghatkopar building structurally stable, but required repairs: 2015 report

MUMBAI: A structural audit report of Siddhi Sai at Ghatkopar, which crashed a week ago killing 17 people, stated it was stable but needed repairs.

According to civic sources, the residents of the ground-plus-four storey building had got a structural audit done from a private architect and submitted the report to the

BMC

. Civic sources said that the audit report is being examined by the three-member investigating committee that was set up following the crash. “However, this is a very preliminary audit that the residents had got done and as prima facie the structure looked stable. They did not feel the need for getting a detailed audit done,” said a senior civic officer.

The residents claimed that they got the structural audit done only because the accused, Sunil Shitap, who owned flats in the building had gone ahead singlehandedly and commissioned an audit of the building. Lalchand Ramchandani, one of the residents, said that Shitap never shared the findings of the structural audit he had undertaken. “In 2015, Shitap sought our consent to get the structural audit of the building done. However, we had our apprehensions over his intentions. He went ahead and did the audit without our consent. We then decided to get another structural audit done from our side,” said Ramchandani, adding that the audit report stated that the building was stable, but required repairs.

The audit report was also shared with the BMC’s N ward office. Another resident from the building said, “The fact that the entire building crashed, but the water tank was intact indicated that the collapse was only because of one person’s mischief.”

It is learnt that the investigating team has sought bank details of those residents who purchased flats in the building through loans. “Banks would generally hesitate giving loans to extremely old and dilapidated structures and therefore the team is inquiring into that aspect as well,” said a source.

Pritesh Shah, whose mother Ranjanaben Shah and daughter, Rutavi, died in the crash visited the crash site on Tuesday. Pritesh said he was living with relatives as alternative accommodation was yet to materialize.

The police custody of the two accused in the case—Sunil Shitap and civil contractor Anil Mandal—will end on Wednesday.