The 75-year-old cessed building leased by MHADA invites visitors to step into a pool of drain water before baring its rickety skeletal supports: broken drainpipes poke out of cracked walls; the staircase, supported by crooked wooden stakes, is missing several steps; and the walls, ceiling and floorboards are punctuated by wide cracks.

If residents on the first two storeys live in perpetual fear of falling in, those on the top storey areconfronted with rain water pouring into their tenements during the monsoon. The building itself mimics a dumping ground for debris and ageing electrical fixtures, with cables and switchboards hanging from the walls reminding residents how sudden death can be.

Amid the supporting pillars and plaster, though, is a signboard erected by MHADA naming the private contractor hired to repair the building. But even this is a morose reminder how lives can be lost in the bureaucratic labyrinth. The signboard, which mentions project details, the tender amount (Rs 1.92 lakh) and the contractor's name, significantly omits the date of commencement and completion of work.

The tenants say the contractor, A S Belim Constructions, vanished soon after beginning work in June this year. ``He left midway saying the funds allocated by the MBRRB were over. Where has all the money gone? Why is the date of completion not mentioned on the board,'' they ask. They say the contractor ignored the staircase and toilet blocks, whichshould have been repaired on priority as the building is structurally weak. ``Can you imagine balancing an umbrella inside the toilet to deflect the dirty water leaking from above,'' asks another resident.

Peter Aranjo, who lives on the third storey, says he is tired of corresponding with the authorities on behalf of the tenants. His last letter, dated July 28, 1999, seeks redressal from the MBRRB chief engineer and chief architect, the `E' ward officer and MHADA administrative officer. He says none of them has responded till date. ``Are we supposed to die a hundred times before getting killed in a building collapse,'' Aranjo wonders.

MBRRB President, Madhu Chavan, is out of Mumbai. Vandana Khullar, chief officer of MBRRB, says she has no information about the building and directed Express Newsline to the MBRRB engineer concerned.

N G Mahajan, MBRRB executive engineer responsible for monitoring the building's repairs, had no information either. ``I have not received any complaint from thetenants. I am not aware if the contractor has stopped work due to non-availability of funds. I shall have to visit the site and carry out detailed inspection,'' he told Express Newsline.