The chawl collapse at Bharat Nagar in Bandra East on Friday has once again brought to light the ongoing issue of illegal structures being constructed across the city. While it was initially assumed that the BMC was responsible for this illegally built structure, it was later revealed that the land belongs to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).

Mrudula Ande, Assistant Commissioner of the H East Ward, which has jurisdiction over the area, told mid-day, “This land belongs to MHADA. All the structures on it are slum structures. It is MHADA’s responsibility to determine the legality of these structures and take appropriate action, if necessary. In today’s case, despite the high population density, the BMC and Mumbai Fire Brigade acted swiftly. As a result, all 15 people were rescued, and no fatalities were reported.”

The incident has not only raised serious safety concerns but has also exposed glaring lapses in monitoring and regulatory action by housing authorities over the past several years.