Mumbai: Rains missing, yet two injured in boulder fall, fire in city

Two incidents hit the city on Sunday, with a boulder falling on a house at Vashi Naka, Chembur, injuring two people, and a level-2 fire breaking out at a high-rise in Borivli. While no one was injured in the fire, the boulder fall incident took place near the site of last year's landslide which claimed 11 lives.

Residents of the house that was damaged by the boulder said they had not received any notice from the authorities. A BMC official, however, claimed notices had been issued to all residents of landslide prone areas.

Ashish Prajapathi, 20, sustained a fracture to his hand; (right) Dheeraj Savera building in Borivli East where the fire broke out. Pic/Anurag Ahire

The boulder fell on a house at Bhim Tekdi, Vashi Naka in Chembur around 4 am on Sunday. Both the injured were admitted to the civic-run Lokmanya Tilak Hospital in Sion.

Jaywant Kharat, a resident of the area, said, "We heard a loud noise and went to see what happened. A boulder fell on Prajapathi's house from the hill. The retaining wall there collapsed owing to the pressure of the boulder. However, it decreased the speed of the boulder, otherwise there would have been more damage."

A neighbour shows the damage caused by the boulder at Ashish and Arvind Prajapathi's house. Pic/Sameer Markande

"My family has been living here for 15 years but this is the first time we witnessed such an incident," said Ashish Prajapathi, 20, who sustained a fracture to his hand. His brother Arvind, 25, is seriously injured below the waist and is currently under observation.

BMC vs locals

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's assistant commissioner Mahendra Ubale said, "As a precautionary measure, we have already sent notices to the families living in landslide-prone areas. We also made a temporary shelter near BMC school."

The fire broke out at a flat on the 14th floor of Dheeraj Savera building in Borivli. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Ashish, however, told mid-day, "We never got any notice from the civic authorities."

"After last year's landslide incident, I tried to relocate the people to a safe area at least for the monsoon and accordingly submitted a proposal to a civic official. However, as the policy would be applicable for the whole city, it may take time. Now I will follow up with the civic body about it," said former corporator Nidhi Shinde.

Fire in 15-storey building

A level-2 fire broke out at Dheeraj Savera, a 15-storey residential building, in Siddharth Nagar, Borivli East around 12.30 am on Sunday. The fire was confined to only one house on the 14th floor while the smoke spread from 13th to 15th floors. No one was injured in the incident.

The incident has again brought to the fore the need to conduct safety audits of buildings. Six fire engines with eight jumbo tankers rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire at 4.45 am. "10 persons from the 14th floor and 2 persons from 15th floor were rescued by firemen. The firefighting system was in working condition and it helped in operation. A detailed investigation of the fire will be conducted on Monday," said Hemant Parab, chief fire officer of Mumbai Fire Brigade.

As per the fire brigade, the fire was confined to electric wiring, electric installations, wooden furniture, clothes, household articles, doors and windows.

12.30am
Time when the fire broke out at the Borivli building