Bhiwandi: Police on Sunday arrested the caretaker of Kohinoor Apartment in Bhiwandi in connection with the building collapse that claimed 10 lives, saying he had allegedly initiated repair work without mandatory civic permission after collecting money from flat owners on the builder’s instructions.The arrested accused, Amritlal Nishad (49), who is also a resident of the building, was produced before a holiday court, which remanded him in police custody till August 5.Police are on the hunt for another person, Danish, who was also allegedly involved in the construction of the building with builder Bilal Khan as partner.Senior inspector Vikram Mohite of Bhoiwada police station said the investigation has revealed that after Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) declared the building dangerous, Khan allegedly instructed Nishad to arrange repairs. Acting on those directions, Nishad collected between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 from each flat owner and engaged contractor Ashok Paswan to undertake the repairs without obtaining permission from the civic body.Police had earlier registered an FIR against Khan and Paswan under the relevant provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Paswan died in the collapse, while the builder is currently abroad. Police said further action against Khan will be taken once he returns to India.According to investigators, the 13-year-old Kohinoor Apartment consists of two wings with 48 flats and four shops in each wing. B-wing, which had been served a dangerous building notice, partially collapsed while repair work was underway on July 30 evening. Police said workers noticed cracks in a pillar during the day, following which repair work was intensified. A portion of the structure suddenly gave way, trapping several labourers and residents beneath the debris.Investigators are also examining whether poor construction quality contributed to the tragedy. Police suspect the building deteriorated unusually quickly for a structure barely 13 years old, raising questions over the quality of material used during construction and whether structural norms for a load-bearing building were followed.Meanwhile, civic authorities faced stiff resistance on Sunday when they attempted to demolish the A-wing of the building after issuing evacuation notices. Residents, who have been living outside their homes since the collapse, prevented the demolition, demanding rehabilitation before any action is taken.Residents said they should first be allowed to remove their belongings and sought a detailed panchnama of every flat to safeguard their ownership rights during the future redevelopment. They also demanded that the civic administration provide temporary accommodation, arguing that many families had invested their life’s savings to buy homes in the building and could not afford to lose both their property and shelter overnight.BNCMC has temporarily deferred the demolition as discussions with residents continue.
