Residents, who work for BMC's solid waste management dept, accuse civic body of indifference
Transit camp resident Anil Solanki whose flat was impacted
The overhead water tank of a ground-plus-four-storey transit camp at Gautam Nagar in Dadar burst around 7 am on Monday, damaging two homes on the topmost floor. Although the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has replaced the tank, cracks on the inside of the building, which houses workers of the civic body’s solid waste management department, are still visible.
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Mitesh Waloda shows the extent of damage done to his home
Mitesh Waloda, who lives in room number 52 on the fourth floor, said, “When the tank burst, water surged into my room. Furniture has been damaged and walls have developed cracks due to the force of the water.” The home of Anil Solanki, who also resides on the fourth floor, was also damaged while his wife sustained a minor injury. She has now moved in with a relative. Solanki said, “Whenever I complain to BMC officials, they tell me to shift. They said they would put me up anywhere in the suburbs. I’m working in the F South ward [which comprises Parel, Lalbaug and Hindmata]. How can I shift?”
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The transit camp at Gautam Nagar in Dadar where the incident occurred on Monday. Pics/Ashish Raje
A woman resident, who did not wish to be named, said, “The transit camp’s residents used to live in Gautam Nagar Colony in the next lane. Those buildings were vacated in 2016, as they were deemed dangerous. The BMC said that it would rebuild the colony in four years, but the work has not been completed.” “This is a load-bearing structure, which was constructed six years ago. We are afraid to live here, but we don’t have a choice. If any family complains about the condition of the building, officials ask us to vacate our rooms. Our children have been going to school in this area. We have been living in Dadar for many years. Where we will go,” she asked.
Another woman said, “We don’t have any option. If we complain, they tell us to move out.”Kokila Waghela, another resident, compared the sound of the tank bursting to a bomb blast. “Since there was no tank for two days, we had to fetch water from the ground floor,” she added. Deputy Municipal Commissioner Chanda Jadhav did not respond to calls or messages at the time of going to press.
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