Maharashtra housing and area development authority starts pulling down Tardeo building

MUMBAI: MHADA officials started the work of pulling down the standing portion of Ganpat Weta Sadan, the three-storeyed residential complex in Tardeo that was gutted in a big blaze earlier this month. One wing of the building had collapsed soon after the fire was doused because of the impact of heat and water.
"This was a very old structure and was due for redevelopment for a long time.After a part of it collapsed last week, it was unsafe to let the remaining portion stand. The structural weakness coupled with the impact of the cylinder blasts and water has significantly damaged its foundations and it is likely to fall anytime. For safety purposes , we have decided to pull it down ourselves," said a Mhada officer, overseeing the demolition process. The officer said it would take a minimum of two weeks for the building to be brought down and the site cleared of the rubble.
A group of residents watched in silence their houses being reduced to rubble and said they found it depressing to go and retrieve their belongings. "My entire house was charred. I managed to get a few pieces of gold jewelery but lost everything else," said Asha Bapat, a housewife and mother of three.
But for some, even their important documents got burnt in the fire. "I now have no home, no identity and no financial security. I didn't even manage to find a few clothes," said Bappi Panji, a musician who used to stay on the second floor.
The 32 families who were staying here have also been forced to take up the Mhada offer for flats at Sion. Though they had opposed the offer initially because of the distance from Tardeo, with dim prospects of finding cheap accommodation in the area, several families have reconciled to the move, at least temporarily.
"Many of us will have to move because we have nowhere else to go and the deal with the builder will take some time to materialize . However, those who have children attending schools nearby are having a tough time deciding what to do," said one of the residents Mahadev Sawant, a retired serviceman.