India, Sept. 1 -- Five days after the collapse of Ramabai Apartment in Virar East claimed 17 lives, including that of a one-year-old girl, investigations have revealed that the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) had issued a repair notice to the building as far back as 2020.

The warning was ignored by the builder, Niley Sane, and plot owners, police said, with no repairs carried out.

Several residents say that had the builder paid heed to the civic warning to repair the building in 2020, this incident could have been averted.

A portion of the four-storey building, constructed 12 years ago without municipal approval, crumbled in the early hours of Wednesday while a birthday celebration for the infant victim was underway.

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