With no water and no fire-fighting system, the building was a death trap

Residents of Goregaonrsquos Jay Bhavani building have claimed that it always was a death trap as it lacked essential amenities such as a water connection and fire exits The only lift in the building was nonfunctional but anyway cannot be used in case of fires For years residents some of whom lost their lives in Fridayrsquos fire had been pleading for help from elected representatives There are 62 flats in the 7storey building and around eight to 10 family members lived in a single room which measures 225 square feetSanjay Chougule who lost his daughter in the mishap on Friday said ldquoWe havenrsquot had a water connection since 2008 I donrsquot remember when was the last time we had a functional lift When the fire brigade came they might have struggled as there is no fire safety system here Neither is there any waterrdquoSanjay Chougule resident who lost his daughterHe added ldquoWe have been approaching MLAs MPs and corporators but no one could do anything to help us They are now rushing to see if we are dead or alive Had they helped us earlier this could have been averted The tragedy we suffered will open their eyes and minds nowrdquoAnother resident Maria Chettiar said ldquoI had been renting this flat since 2008 I wasnrsquot there when the fire broke out neither was my tenant a lawyer But my flat had been gutted Our society members visited every possible politician seeking their help to improve the situation but one bothered to help us The developer too has done nothingrdquoJay Bhavani building in Goregaon West on Friday PicsAnurag AhireResidents claim that the two wings on the premises are so close to each other that the fire could have easily spread to other adjacent buildings ldquoThe private building has been constructed very well but ours A wing the SRA one was built just to rehabilitate us and no one bothered to come back and see how we have been suffering without basic amenities We were better off in our chawlsrdquo Chougule saidBalwant Mallah a resident of the third floor stayed with his wife two children father mother sister and son in a tiny room ldquoThere isnrsquot any water or functional lift Even those who live on the seventh floor carry water via the staircase We live a worse life than being in a slum Despite going to every authority we are left without basic human amenities and now such a horrific incident has happenedrdquoHis father Murlidhar said ldquoWe were staying in slums on this plot They built these buildings and now we are without homesrdquoSunil Ogania another resident eyes said ldquoI helped to rescue at least 10 to 12 people from the upper floors It was so heartwrenching to see the people we know suffer We were constantly running from pillar to post to get a water connection Now all the authorities are coming to console usrdquoMaria Chettiar residentHarikesh Gupta a fruit vendor and a resident of the first floor of B wing the sellable building also lost everything in the fire ldquoI pay Rs 5000 as maintenance and our wing has a lift but does not have water supply A tanker comes and fills up the tank But the condition of the SRA wing is worse They cannot even pay for tankers People get water from neighbouring areas and they carry it up to the seventh floor without a liftrdquo he saidAnother resident Nilesh Kakuria 22 and his wife Nandan escaped from the third floor with their sevenmonthold child Sitting outside their charred building in the evening Nandan now wonders what to do next ldquoThey have arranged for temporary shelter at school but we donrsquot know if we will stay there for the nightrdquo she saidWhile Nandan moved into the building four years ago Nilesh has been a longtime resident ldquoEven after so many years we still donrsquot have drinking water We have to get it from a temple nearbyrdquo he saidThe family sells old clothes in the area ldquoWe have been receiving food throughout the day from the BMC But now clothes are a concernrdquo Nilesh saidMeanwhile authorities have just begun the panchanama process taking note of all that people lost to provide them with reliefThe families of victims and survivors said that the extent of damage would have been lesser had the fire brigade reached earlier ldquoThe fire brigade came in very late almost one and half hours late after the fire broke out By the time they reached the fire and smoke reached up to the seventh floorrdquo said Raju Tushamad brother of Bishan Tushamad who is currently in ICUThose who escaped unhurt are being rehabilitated in a BMC building in Unnat Nagar in Goregaon EastInputs by Sameer Surve and Eshan Kalyanikar2008Year since building has not had water connectionBlazes IN SRA buildingsNovember 13 2018 Two people were killed in a fire in an SRA building on Veera Desai Road in AndheriDecember 3 2018 One died and 23 were injured after a fire broke out in the SRA building at MahalaxmiJune 22 2019 Two were injured after a fire broke out in the SRA building on Barkat Ali Road in Wadala15 July 2020 A blaze broke out at an SRA building at Shantinagar in DahisarSeptember 16 2023 A fire broke out in building number 7 E wing at Kurla 29 people were admitted to the hospitalFebruary 15 2023 C wing of the same building caught fire early in the morning One woman died