On Thursday morning, Jena Kadam breathed her last at SSG hospital, where she was rushed after being seriously injured in the slab collapse in a flat on the third floor of block 23.

According to residents, Kadam, who lived alone, had sat down to have her meal when the slab collapsed in the living room. A neighbour said, “The incident took place around 8 pm and there was a loud noise. We rushed to the flat and we saw Janaben had been crushed under the slab. She was unconscious and we rushed her to the hospital.”

“The VMC has served us a notice to leave the house but where will we go,” the neighbour added.

The colony, constructed in 2012, has been termed “structurally unstable” since 2019. Within a year of its construction, complaints of leaking roofs had arisen, prompting the VMC to admit that the work of waterproofing the terrace and the shafts of the building were not part of the itemised conditions of the construction contract.

In 2019, the VMC had conducted a structural audit and the stability report had concluded that the structures were “unsafe”.

While VMC Deputy Municipal Commissioner Arpit Sagar did not respond to calls and text messages, civic officials said that 358 of the 928 dwelling units in the colony had been served “eviction notice” last week.

Even as the civic body initiated the process to disconnect electricity, water and drainage connection to the housing colony to effect “eviction” of the residents, the residents staged a protest at the VMC office on Thursday. They were joined by Congress leaders Chandrakant Shrivastav, Ami Ravat and Rutvij Joshi.

The Congress, in a memorandum, said that the VMC must ensure that the sub-standard dwelling units are reconstructed at the risk and cost of the contractor. Till then, the residents served eviction notices should be provided alternate accommodation by the VMC, it added, while seeking action against the contractor.

Leader of Opposition in VMC, Ami Ravat, said, “There are about 21,000 housing units under BSUP scheme in Vadodara, which are in terrible condition. There has been grave corruption under the BJP in construction of these houses. The Jambuva colony alone has 928 units, which means 928 families. They were served notices one week ago by the VMC to evict. Where should these poor people go in the monsoon?”

“In 2019 itself, the structural stability report was negative. What kind of construction turns dilapidated within seven years? The cost of the construction was Rs 2,200 per square feet and yet, the structures are falling apart in such a short span. Even mud houses do not collapse in 10 years,” he added.