Crack in Mira Road building, families evacuated

A massive crack in a residential building in Mira Road tilted three adjoining buildings, triggering panic in the area on Tuesday evening. Nearly 80 families residing in all the four buildings at Green Wood Complex were evacuated.

Green Wood Complex is popularly known as Bollywood complex as the buildings are named after actors. The four-storey building that developed a crack from top to bottom is called Amitabh. After the evacuation, locals saw the adjoining buildings — Shahrukh, Madhuri, and Aman — had slightly tilted.

Senior police inspector Vaibhav Shingare, Kashimira police station, said the building is nearly 16 years old. “Rescue teams and firefighters were sent to the spot. There were no injuries due to timely evacuation,” he said.

The families have been temporarily relocated to vacant flats under the MMRDA’s jurisdiction in the vicinity. “The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation is conducting a structural audit of the complex and the next course of action will be decided after officials finished assessing the situation,” Mr. Shingare said.

Meanwhile, the residents have blamed the ongoing constructions by Lodha Group near the complex for the crack and the ensuing trouble.

But the real estate developer denied the allegation. In a statement, its spokesperson Niranjan Parihar said the two buildings which have been asked to be vacated do not even have the occupation certificate. “A structural audit conducted a few months ago had found that urgent repairs are required for these buildings, which were unfortunately not done. We too had informed the authorities about the dilapidated state of these buildings over six months ago.”

Mr. Parihar also said it appears that the condition of the buildings has been impacted by the ongoing rain. “In this context, it is clear that the buildings have construction defects, and the current issue has no relation with us.”

The residents have been advised to stay away from the area as there is a fear that the building may collapse. Mr. Shingare said they are focussing on shifting personal belongings of the affected families.