Overview

• On August 27, a portion of a four-storey building in Virar East, Palghar, collapsed, leaving 17 dead and eight injured.
• The NHRC said the reported circumstances, if true, raise serious concerns of human-rights violations.
• Reports describe the structure as unauthorised and over a decade old, yet residents paid VVCMC taxes based on notarised documents they believed proved legality.
• Authorities had issued three notices directing residents to vacate the premises, but the warnings were not acted upon.
• A senior VVCMC officer indicated the collapse may have stemmed from the use of inferior-quality construction materials.