India, Nov. 17 -- The BMC has halted redevelopment work at Byculla's Habib Mansion after unauthorised deep excavation and backfilling led to the death of two labourers and injured three others. A stop-work notice was issued late on Saturday evening.

A 24-hour intimation has also been issued to the developer Ibrahim Jusab Sopariwala and others, ordering them to produce the requisite permission granted for the construction, failing which the building will be demolished by the BMC.

The accident took place when the workers, using jackhammers in a 15-foot-deep pit, were buried by a wall of loose mud and stones that suddenly came crashing down on them. Civic officials said the work was carried out without basic safety measures and in violatio...