It may take a while, but the law catches up with slumlords eventually

(It shouldn't be after people die, though, as it so often is.)



http://www.thefreelibrary.com/MY+HOME+IS+DEATH+TRAP+TOO%3B+New+fury+at+landlord+of+flat+where+two+men...-a065411392

MY HOME IS DEATH TRAP TOO; New fury at landlord of flat where two men died in fire.


THESE (click upper link) are the shocking pictures which show rogue landlord Herpal Singh has learned no lessons from the deaths of two students.

This hovel he owns is next door to his flat at 4 Melrose Street, Glasgow, in which 20-year-olds Daniel Heron and James Fraser perished in a fire.

A bedroom window is blocked by bars, despite a Glasgow City Council order to remove them.

And when the Daily Record visited the flat, we witnessed scenes of disgusting neglect - an environment fit only for the scurrying rats.


But Singh, who owns 20 flats across Glasgow and lives in the plush Newlands area of the city, charges Mesut Oncel pounds 250 a month for the privilege of living there.

In the other bedroom, one window is wedged closed, while the other can only be moved by extreme force.

There is a smoke alarm in the hall - but the battery has been disconnected.

There is no electricity and frequent gas leaks have resulted in three visits from gas suppliers Transco in the past week. Mesut, 29, said: "It is quite obvious that my landlord does not care about people.

"I have given up phoning him, trying to get him to do things in the place."

Mesut, who suffers from depression and an ulcer caused by stress, moved in three months ago and has only seen Singh on a couple of occasions.

He said: "The strain of this has really affected my health. I am already on anti-depressants. Environmental health officers came round the other day and they were very concerned about the place.

"If I could move out I would, but I am on benefits of pounds 45 a week and just can't afford it."

Singh appeared before a fatal accident inquiry this week to explain why iron bars were across the windows of the Melrose Street flat, preventing the students from escaping the blaze.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said that three environmental health notices had been served on Singh's properties in Melrose Street and that he has been reported to the procurator fiscal.

Singh, 47, refused to speak to the Daily Record when we contacted him.

The inquiry resumes on October 4.


Millionaire Slum Lord Accused of Arson Plot

credit: James Wacht
Roach motel owner, millionaire, and Tiburon resident, Richard Singer, has been arrested and is facing a ten year prison sentence, a $125,000 fine, and arson charges for allegedly plotting to torch his Oakland Menlo Hotel for insurance money.
This is the last stop for a saga that began in mid-December when Menlo Hotel residents received “fake 30-day eviction notices” from the building's property managers, RMD Services. 40 of the 80 Menlo residents, who insist they suffered deplorable conditions such as bed bugs, poor plumbing, rodents, and a non-functioning fire alarm system, banded together during the evictions and are currently filing a lawsuit against Singer for $80 million. 30 other residents have filed individual suits against Singer and RMD, as well.
While lawsuits were still being filed in January, Singer's larger plan unraveled when an employer at RMD tipped off officials about Singer's scheme. According to the source, Singer had agreed to pay someone $65,000 to torch Menlo Hotel on January 15th, the last day tenants had to move out according to their eviction notice. By this move out date, many Menlo residents had not yet vacated the building.
RMD Services has a long legal history of neglect in regards to Richard Singer's Menlo property. In 2009, lose wiring and safety hazards awarded Menlo resident, Wade McAllister, a $3,000 settlement for “medical defects” on account of “infestation of parasites, rodents, and insects.” Many residents are hesitant to talk, fearing retribution. “They know they cannot really kick people out of the units, based on tenant protection laws, but they know they can make it unpleasant for you,” said one resident who wished to remain anonymous.
(by Renée Grelecki)



Infant Mortality in an Urban Slum
A. Vaid, A. Mammen, B. Primrose,1 and G. Kang
Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
1Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
Correspondence and Reprint requests: Dr. Gagandeep Kang, Professor, Department of GI Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore 632 004; Fax : 0416-2232035 Telephone : 0416-2282052, E-mail : gkang@cmcvellore.ac.in

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2483298/


The level of infant and child mortality is a basic indicator of the quality of life in a society. Multiple factors related to social and economic conditions, health care and environment have a significant effect on childhood mortality, and improving child survival is a national priority in health care. The World Health Organization is working with national/governments to improve neonatal and child survival, most recently with the development of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) scheme, with the addition of a neonatal component in some areas.