Transformation of the ground-plus-one bldg started with MHADA giving its owner the go-ahead to carry out ‘minor repairs’ only.A building that came up at a furious pace in Pydhonie exemplifies everything that is wrong with Mumbai’s construction sector. The building is illegal; it’s situated around 300 m from the police station and yet no action has been taken; the funding for the building is believed to have come from the underworld; it is being built with least concern for its inhabitants and tenements nearby; and here’s the fun bit – the 10-storey structure has been completed in just 45 days.Situated at plot no 320 on Ibrahim Rahimtoola Road, which runs parallel to Muhammad Ali Road, the 10-storyed building started life as a dilapidated ground plus one structure. It had three commercial establishments on the ground floor. The owner took permission from Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA) on the pretext of carrying out repairs to the dilapidated structure but quickly knocked down the original structure and started adding illegal floors to the building.An assistant engineer from C ward of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on the condition of anonymity told Mumbai Mirror: “The building owner, Uttamchand Jain, got the go-ahead from MHADA for repairs in the first week of September. But he defaulted on the time limit and conditions laid down by MHADA for repairs. He also started adding floors illegally.”Despite getting repeated complaints about the blatant violations, BMC officials did not act against the building or the owner. Rumour has it that the underworld’s money and muscle power ensured that everybody looked the other way.On September 15 and 29, a demolition team visited the structure but returned without taking any action, citing some legal difficulties.Vasant Koli, Assistant Engineer (Building and Factory department) from C ward of BMC, however, said that the building was demolished twice last month. He said that extra floors were added as the police have not been able to provide them adequate protection due to the festive season.“It is also the police’s responsibility to prevent illegal construction. We have informed the Pydhonie police station and requested them to tackle encroachment and illegal construction.”Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, Additional Commissioner of Police (South Region) Pratap Dighavkar said, “Whenever BMC asks for help to remove encroachment or demolition of illegal structure, adequate staff goes with them to maintain law and order.”He added that removal of encroachment and demolition of illegal construction is BMC’s job since they have the man-power and equipment.An engineering marvel?Earlier this year, a Chinese builder had set a record of sorts by erecting a 57-storey skyscraper in just 19 days. Pre-fabricated blocks, heavy machinery and cranes were deployed to construct the building in a modular way. But the Pydhonie building is an engineering marvel in itself as none of those techniques have been used.The building has been built around a core structure of iron pillars and beams – a very rudimentary form of how the twin towers were built – and thus susceptible to a pancake collapse, of which Mumbai has seen several instances in which many lives have been lost. It is being built the traditional way – brick by brick around the iron matrix. The contruction work takes place during the night, after 11 pm, and the cleaning up and finishing is done during the day.Incorrect approach, unsafe structureSeveral architects that Mumbai Mirror spoke to said that such structures are highly unsafe beyond a certain height. Though most of them said that various parameters need to be looked into before commenting on the safety, all were unanimous that such a structure should not go beyond three storeys.