[1]The fire and emergence service department had to evacuate residents living in buildings next to a five-storey building that was on the verge of collapsing, in Vinayaka Layout, Electronics City 2nd phase. The under-construction building on plot number 26 in the Shantipura grama panchayat is owned by Vijay Kumar, a native of Tamil Nadu.
The dangerous state of the building was noticed by residents living in surrounding plots at around 6:30 am on Tuesday, when they heard what they described as a “creaking” sound. They immediately informed the police who alerted the fire and emergency services and evacuated people living in the adjacent buildings, Angel Heritage on plot no 30, and Daffodils on plot no 27. If the building which looks as if it has tilted to one side, collapses, the Angel Heritage building will be damaged and its residents in danger.
Ms Sarita Jha, the owner of Angel Heritage, told Deccan Chronicle that she constructed the building two years ago and it has 13 flats. She made sure all the residents were evacuated and had gas cylinders and other inflammable material removed. She wants the police to take necessary action to ensure that the under-construction building does not collapse and damage the adjacent buildings. ACP Subbanna of the Madiwala sub-division said that the owner may not have taken permission from the Panchayat Development Officer to construct the building. Moreover, the five storeys have been completed in just four months.
“The Parapanna Agrahara police have registered a case of negligence and also causing danger to life of humans against the building owner Vijay Kumar who is absconding. Efforts are being made to trace him,” Mr Subbana said. “We have called upon a team of experts to come up with a plan to avoid damage to the adjacent complexes. The tilted building will be demolished.”
Anekal tahsildar H. N. Shive Gowda said it was a case of “total negligence” on the part of the owner. When asked what might be the reasons for the building to tilt, he did not rule out the possibility of cheap quality construction material being used for construction.
Another explanation offered by the landlords of Vinayaka Layout was that since there is no drainage facility in the area, apartments dig pits either on the road or in vacant plots for water to drain out. It is possible that one of the pillars on the left of the tilted building is built close to one such pit and the water collected in the pit might have undermined the foundation of the pillar and caused the building to tilt. A team of civil defence personnel attached to the fire and emergency services was also pressed into service. A member if the civil defence team said that the owner has built a four- inch pillar for construction of a five-storey building, when in fact the pillar should have a diameter of a minimum of eight to 10 inches.
“Because the pillars where not strong enough to withstand the weight, the building is on the verge of collapsing. Also, a pillar was constructed in each corner of the building. If pillars were also constructed in the centre, this incident would not have occurred,” he said. Mr Nagendra, adviser to Civil aid Techno Clinic Pvt. Ltd. and an expert in these matters said: “Since one side of the building is tilted, it appears that the foundation has weakened. For the row of columns which has sunk, sandbag support has been given as a temporary arrangement, so that the building will not collapse and cause danger to the adjacent complex. It will take four or five days to completely demolish the building. A special machine called the ‘chipper machine’ will be used. Demolition will start from the top floor. In such cases, scientific dismantling should be done to avoid further danger.”
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