With no accommodation offered by the BMC, the residents -- most of whom are sweepers with the corporation -- have taken shelter in relatives' homes but have stoutly refused to return to their own homes unless the building's condition changes for the better.

Residents of the New Municipal Building (constructed opposite gate no 2 of the Mahalaxmi Race Course by the BMC nearly 25 years ago) were shocked when one of the main pillars supporting the structure developed a crack on Sunday, causing the building to tilt. ``Initially we thought it was not serious, but when the building tilted, we feared it would collapse any moment and called the fire brigade. By the time they arrived, we took all the occupants out of the building,'' said Janardhan Kamble, a resident.

The fire brigade has put up pillars at some places to prop up the structure and prevent it from sloping further.

The building is weak and looks like it hasn't been maintained for years. The outer plaster has come off, and there are marks of water leakage on most walls, which along with the columns have developed cracks.

``We had no option but to vacate. For two days we slept out on the pavements fearing we might get killed if the building came down. But today I asked my wife and children to go to my brother's place at Kandivli. I don't know how long this will continue,'' Kamble said.

K K Bhure, another resident, said the civic authorities have not shown any interest in helping the residents. ``Agar sahab logoki building ko aisa hota to kya karte? (What if this were to happen to a building of top officials?) Everyone would have moved fast and the residents would have been shifted to other places. We decided to send our family members to relatives' places, and only one person per family now stays here to guard the houses. The authorities will wake up only after a major disaster,'' he said.

Shockingly, R N Mehta, ward officer, D ward, had no information about the incident. He failed to tell what would be done to rehabilitate the residents in case of a collapse and was not aware if the building could be repaired. ``Contact the building proposals department for more details,'' he said.

R K Kamble of the building proposals department was out on a visit and no one from his office had any idea about the building. BMC PRO Vijay Khabale did not know if BMC officials had taken note of the incident.