Mumbai building crumble kills 21

A residential building has collapsed in Mumbai, killing at least 21 people including eight children and eight women and injuring over 30 on Wednesday as heavy monsoon rain continued to pour in India’s business capital.

The deaths occurred when the back portion of a 72-year-old four-storey building 'Dutt Niwas' collapsed at around 5.30 in the morning. The injured were soon admitted to the hospital and some of them are severely injured, hospital sources said.

Collapse of old and poorly constructed buildings has been a common affair in Mumbai, especially during the monsoons. The government of Maharastra has declared more than 500 in South Mumbai as dangerous to live in since the 2005 flood. The residents, however, blame the civic authorities for being negligent in enforcing safety codes.

As per reports, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) in 2007 had directed all the tenants of the building to evict their houses due to their decaying condition.

The MHADA is now blaming the locals for not cooperating in repair work suggested in those poorly maintained building.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh who visited the site has declared compensation for the victims and said that a development plans for these building have been prepared.

According to estimation, thousands of high-rise buildings, declared unfit to reside, are in need for renovation. Contradicting to municipal authority, the tenants of those buildings say that repair and renovation works are often delayed and there was also no safety norms issued from the administration.