'When I entered the ground floor of the building, there were no walls'

Ismail Shaikh in Rajawadi hospital. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

"It was my first day at work; I was hired for plastering for Rs 1,000 a day. When I reached the ground floor of Siddhi Sai Apartment in Ghatkopar, I saw that the plaster of some pillars had been removed entirely, with the iron rods jutting out, and some were even bent and broken. Minutes later, I saw the pillars shaking."

Shaikh, who was among the unfortunate few who happened to visit the building on July 25, said, "I got scared and ran towards the door; I did get out, but just barely. There was a loud sound and the building crashed. I don't know what happened then; I got up in Rajawadi Hospital with multiple fractures on the right leg."

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Problem pillars
Remembering every minute detail of that day, he said, "I am a skilled labourer, proficient in plastering. I was called to Siddhi Sai for plastering the pillars. I reached the building at 10 am and saw a big, wide space on the ground floor. There were no walls, and in some places, bent and broken iron rods of the pillars could be seen, with the plaster completely removed."

"I was walking through the space, surveying the ground floor, when I noticed plaster fall off some pillars. I got scared and didn't know what to do," he added.

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Soon enough, Shaikh heard other labourers crying 'baahar niklo, baahar niklo' (go out, go out), the warning that ended up saving lives of 12 residents.

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"I followed the voices and came out of the building. But then, I heard a loud sound and the structure crashed. My leg was stuck to something, that's all I remember," Shaikh said.

Probe on
The Parksite police, who are probing the collapse, have taken down statements of two labourers, who were present on the premises when tragedy struck. Sources said one of the two labourers is still in touch with the investigators, while the rest have either left the city or gone into hiding.

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The police have come across a third-party structural audit of Siddhi Sai Apartment done in 2015. The report states the building's pillars are damaged and need urgent repairs. It was allegedly thrown away and no work was carried out.

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The police have also procured a blueprint of the building to help them better understand the structure.