Maharashra: Mhada starts shifting residents of adjoining buildings in Kamathipura

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) has started a survey of all the old buildings on Foras Road in Kamathipura. The authorities have also started shifting residents from buildings adjoining Gulmohar building to a transit camp in Dharavi on Sunday. Six people were killed when Gulmohar collapsed on Saturday.

The building, as was warned by fire officers, had developed cracks in the walls and columns.

Mhada has started shifting residents of building numbers 91 and 98 to Dharavi. Mhada executive engineer Sanjay Jadhav told dna that the priority is to prevent such incidents and loss of life and property. "Our first priority was to shift the residents from the adjoining buildings. Second was to start an immediate survey of buildings on Foras Road. All the buildings will be surveyed to rule out any possibility another collapse. In fact, before the monsoon, Mhada and BMC do prepare a list of such buildings," said Jadhav.

Foras Road in Kamathipura is commonly known as the red-light area and most of the buildings on it have commercial sex workers as residents. Mhada officials expressed fear that some occupants may hesitate to move out of the buildings even if they are declared dangerous.