Muddy Mess: Contractor lands in trouble for Vile Parle mudslide

The Vile Parle police have registered a case of endangering lives against the contractor of Manav Infrastructure Company in connection with the mudslide that occurred at the entrance of the National India Block LIC Society on Nehru Road in Vile Parle (East) on Monday. The complaint was filed by PS Deshpande (74), an architect and one of the 14 families residing in the building.The contractor, identified as Raju Bhai, has not been arrested yet. According to the police, the mudslide was caused by a 60-foot deep excavation being carried out by the builder of a neighbouring SRA project. Heavy rain led to the collapse of the piling foundation at the under-construction site, resulting in the society's compound wall falling into the excavated area along with three bikes and a car, with an estimated total cost of Rs3.5 lakhs.
The contractor has been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for endangering lives, personal safety, and causing mischief. DCP (Zone VIII) Dikshit Gedam confirmed the registration of the FIR and stated that the arrest would be made based on the structural engineer's report and the report from the concerned authorities overseeing the project.
The building where the mudslide occurred has 24 flats, and as a precautionary measure, 14 families residing in the ground plus two-floor building, which also had 10 vacant rooms, were evacuated.
In his complaint, Deshpande stated: "The SRA project started at the site where earlier Vasant Chawl existed which was in a dilapidated and dangerous state. In 2022, the work began at the site and a 60-foot deep excavation was done. At 3 am on Monday, due to heavy rain suddenly the mudslide occurred and I heard a loud sound. I got up and went to see and noticed the compound wall collapsed and fallen 15 feet deep and 60 feet long due to mudslides. The incident occurred due to the piling work that was carried out of sub-standard materials. Due to this the building compound and vehicles parked close to the wall fell into it."
Manish Walunj, assistant municipal commissioner of K-East ward, earlier stated that the mudslide occurred during shore piling work at the under-construction building site, causing the compound wall of the adjoining building to crash. The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has been informed to safeguard the entire area and to have a structural engineer certify the stability of the site.