Thane: Pre-rain audit of all buildings in Ulhasnagar

Lengrekar also directed action against encroachment on footpaths, unattended vehicles and unauthorized hawkers.

The Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) authorities have started a survey of dangerous and dilapidated buildings before monsoon season to avoid any incident which could claim people's lives. Conventionally, the PWD (Public Works Department) carries out the survey of dangerous buildings, but the Ulhasnagar civic chief has requested a parallel survey so that no building is missed.

UMC authorities will visit buildings to assess them and prepare a report. If found unsafe for habitation, the residents of the structure will be asked to vacate it; if the structure is found to be suitable for habitation after repairs, an order will be given to further pursue the same. Residents are heartened that the UMC has had the foresight to avoid unforeseen crises and assure the safety of residents, even while being occupied with the election duty. The effort will help mitigate potential disasters and loss of lives.

Aziz Shaikh, UMC Commissioner, has ordered the City Engineer and all Assistant Commissioners to inspect the buildings that seem visibly dangerous or dilapidated and likely to collapse during the monsoons. Following these orders, Jamir Lengarekar, Additional Municipal Commissioner, met with assistant commissioners of all four wards and other senior UMC officials, which included Ganesh Shimpi, Anil Khaturani, Manish Hivre, Dattatray Jadhav, and ward officers and mukadams of all wards. "They have been ordered to prepare a list of the buildings that seem visibly dangerous but have not yet been declared so," he added, "The ward committees will finish the action before June 2024."

The first task for the team would be to check whether the structure has been audited for stability. "If a building is found to be extremely dangerous, we will demolish it," said Lengarekar, "If it can be repaired, we will move residents out of it to do so safely. If it possible to repair the building without vacating it, orders will be issued accordingly."

UMC's pre-monsoon audit of 2023 found 273 buildings to be hazardous for inhabitation. Five of these were found too dangerous to continue living in, and had to be demolished; residents were requested to vacate 45 buildings for repair work to be carried out. Around 202 structures were repaired while the residents continued to live in them, and 21 needed only minor repair work. "Around 33 buildings were recommended for structural audit last year," said a UMC official. "We will check what precautionary and safety measures have been taken."