A day after a four-storey building collapsed in suburban Ghatkopar in Mumbai killing 17, the Congress on Wednesday blamed the Mumbai's civic body for the mishap and said that both the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party, who run the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai, must be held accountable for the accident.
Speaking to ANI, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said that Shiv Sena worker Sunil Shitap, who owns at least three flats on the ground floor of the building, should be booked for culpable homicide for the collapse.
"The CM is saying that they are going to take action, this is absolutely rubbish. The officers who are responsible for all this, they should be arrested. Case should be registered for non unintentional murder. All these things are happening due to the misgovernance of BJP and Shiv Sena in BMC. A mere announcement for investigation is not going to do anything. There is corruption everywhere in BMC and no one cares for the people of Mumbai," he added.
He further said that the BJP and the Shiv Sena should apologize to the people of Mumbai for this.
"Municipal corporation's responsible is to take care of the building which are in bad condition and that no construction takes place on those buildings. This building was 40 years old and could fall down anytime. Even after the protest of the local residents, a leader of Shiv Sena leader started constructing illars for the construction of the hospital," he added.
Meanwhile, cutting across party lines, several political leaders endorsed the arrest of Shiv Sena leader Sunil Shitap for not taking measures to save a building that he owned in the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai from collapsing.
A majority of them said that people responsible for the mishap should be held accountable.
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A number of allegations pointed towards Sunil Shitap, a local strongman linked to the Shiv Sena and accused him of doing extensive repairing in the maternity home on the ground floor of the building without taking appropriate precautions
Rajya Sabha member Rajni Patil told ANI that a person and his political affiliations shouldn't intervene with any arrest or investigation as a lot of lives are at stake.
Hussain Dalwai, a Rajya Sabha member representing Maharashtra, said, "Only his arrest won't work. Everyone, including people who gave him permission and the ones who were negligent should be held as well."
He added that there are a number of encroachment cases in Mumbai and that the collectors and commissioners aren't doing their jobs properly.
On Tuesday, 17 people died after the building collapsed. Over thirty people were feared trapped under the rubble of the four-storeyed residential building.
Eight fire engines were rushed to the spot. A rescue van along with 108 Ambulance was also rushed to the spot.