Builder neglected safety despite us paying maintenance: Pune residents

It took the death of 13-month-old Sahil Wakade on Friday due to electrocution for the management of Kalpataru Estate Ltd located in Pimple Saudagar to realise the need to repair the loose wires in the garden of the society.

The residents allege the repairs were not carried out although they had complained to the builder and the maintenance department on several occasions. However, the repairs were carried out on Saturday, the day after Sahil lost his life.

A feeling of anger and revulsion gripped the residents of the society after Sahil was electrocuted. Alleging that the incident was a fallout of the negligence on the builder’s part, the residents demanded immediate action against him when a police team reached the spot after the incident on Friday night.

The residents were pacified only after the police officers promised that they would take to take action if a formal complaint was lodged. Later, a society resident, Sushama Namdeo Sherukar, lodged a formal complaint and the police invoked Indian Penal Code section 304 (a) (causing death due to negligence) against the manager of Kalpataru Estate Ltd.

Meanwhile, reacting to the incident, the official spokesperson of the builder has issued an official statement saying, “We express our sincere condolences to the family of the boy who has passed away in a tragic accident. We are extending our full support to the family at this hour and will fully co-operate with the authorities. We are investigating the cause of this accident.”

The residents of the housing society were still simmering when the DNA team visited the society on Saturday. The residents expressed anger over the builder's failure to form a housing society although the society was built in 2009, and lack of upkeep.
Stating that they have already deposited two years’ maintenance charges with the builder, they said every flat owner pays maintenance charge of approximately Rs2,500 per month, but without any maintenance.

Residents said since lack of electric maintenance was a serious matter, some residents of the society had visited Kalpataru Builders’ office in Mumbai to pursue the matter.

Residentspeak
Our requests fell on deaf ears
We had requested the builder to form a society on several occasions. However, our requests fell on deaf ears.
—Sajith Chakkinglat

2-3 kids had got shocks earlier
Two or three children had suffered electric shocks in the garden on earlier occasions. We had asked the builder to carry out the repairs on those occasions too. However, no repairs were carried out. Only on Tuesday, we had submitted a written complaint to the builder that electric current was passing through the electric pole in the society’s garden. However, the maintenance department did not take any action.
—Arvind Kulkarni

There were 50 people in the garden
A meeting of women residents of the society was going on in the garden around 7.30pm. Several other children were playing in the garden when Sahil got electrocuted. There were almost 50 people in the garden at the time of the incident.
—Zanshi Pillay