NAGPUR: A month ago, a part of a dilapidated house in the Ganjipeth collapsed, causing a major commotion. A family was residing in the house at the time of the collapse. The incident brought the issue of dilapidated buildings in the city back to the fore. There are still approximately 199 dilapidated buildings in the city, and some of these structures are inhabited, posing a constant risk of accidents.
As pre-monsoon measures, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) conducts surveys of dilapidated buildings in the city and issues notices to vacate them.
The fire department had requested for information on dilapidated buildings from zones. By July, it was found that there were 240 dilapidated buildings in the nine out of ten zones.
The NMC issued notices to all these buildings and demolished 41 of them. However, no action has been taken against nearly 199 buildings. Team TOI also visited places in Itwari, Mahal, Gandhibagh, Kamal Chowk, and found that many people are residing in such structures. Despite being declared dilapidated, residents continue to live in these buildings, and some even have shops operating in them, making them accident prone.
While some building owners have gone to court after their places were declared dilapidated, some cases are pending, preventing any action, said officials from several zones. Citing examples, they said a dilapidated two-storey building near Kamal Chowk had been declared unsafe, yet the shopkeepers on rent are not vacating the premises.
After the fire department surveyed the city’s dilapidated buildings, it was found that Gandhibagh zone had the highest number with 97 buildings. Notices were issued to all these buildings with six being demolished.
While two owners have repaired their buildings, two buildings in this zone are under appeal with three owners requesting structural audits.
The Gandhibagh zone includes old residential areas of the city, with a large number of such houses and buildings. Recently, a part of an old house in this area collapsed early in the morning while a family was present in the house. Fortunately, no one was injured. Following Gandhibagh, Dharampeth zone has 38 dilapidated buildings, with action taken against just one. Nine cases are pending in court, and in four, building owners have filed an appeal after their structures were declared dilapidated.
The Mangalwari zone has 29 buildings, with action taken against 13. The other zones have 16 buildings in Sataranjipura, 23 in Dhantoli, 15 in Lakadganj, 14 in Ashi Nagar, and 5 in Hanuman Nagar. The Nehru Nagar zone has the fewest with 3 dilapidated buildings. However, Laxmi Nagar zone has failed to submit details of dilapidated structures under its zone, said an official from NMC’s fire department.
In 2020, a dilapidated house in Sadar had caved in, claiming two lives. Similarly, other such structures in use also pose a threat to their inhabitants.
