An eight-story apartment building that collapsed and killed more than 70 people in Mumbai has exposed India's illegal housing sector, corruption among builders and a lack of policy in place to keep the public safe. Before it toppled, the building had been under construction for about five weeks, sources familiar with the accident say.
As developing cities expand, the demand for housing has attracted unreliable builders who exploit the imminent need for low-cost housing, forcing those with limited means to move into illegal buildings. In 2012, India’s urban housing shortage was estimated at nearly 19 million households, notes a report by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.