Taking 74 lives, a building collapsed in Thane. Thane building collapse pointed to the depth of corruption existing in the real estate sector.

Thane building collapse raises questions over the corruption level in the realty?

THANE: An illegal building collapsed in Thane. Thane building collapse reveals the level of corruption existing in the real estate sector. Two builders Jamil Qureshi and Salim Shaikh have been detained by the police.

Nine people were accused in the building collapse case and all of them were arrested by the police. They are sent to the police custody for two weeks.

Police officials said that the clearance for the construction was attained through bribery. The civic officials were bribed by the builders.

Though the builders are arrested, it is unlikely for them to be charged murder-case. In fact the building collapse does not attract the murder charge under the state-laws.

Will the Thane building collapse open the eyes of the civic officials?

KP Raghuvanshi, Police commissioner Thane; in a press conference, said that the civic officials and a police constable were bribed by the builders. He added that the Anti-Corruption Bureau has found Rs.5 lakh from the home of deputy municipal commissioner.

All the accused have been sent to police custody till April 20. They were produced in a Thane court.

The accused include Deepak Chavan and Babasaheb Andhale, deputy and assistant municipal commissioners of Thane, Kiran Madke, the clerk, Hira Patil, corporator Nationalist Congress Party, and police constable Sayyed. Jabbar Patel, an assistant of Mr. Chavan, also was arrested.

Another accused, who is a retired assistant municipal commissioner, is yet to be arrested. He, identified only as Thorbole, is missing after the building collapse. Adnan Shaikh, another developer also is missing.

Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan on Friday suspended Chavan and the local senior police inspector KP Naik who were alleged of ignoring the laws for construction. They are alleged of ignoring the complaints against the illegal construction too.

The building collapse in Thane is the worst one in Maharashtra. It took 74 lives including 19 children.