BENGALURU: Panic gripped residents of Vidyagiri Residency in Nagarbhavi during the wee hours of Monday after a landslide took place adjacent to their building following heavy rains on Sunday night. They continue to live in fear as they fear that further landslide might damage their building.
On Monday, large quantity of mud fell from a height of 40 feet and above on Outer Ring Road (ORR) in Nagarbhavi I Stage. The road was blocked for a couple of hours. It took more than four hours for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) authorities to clear the mud, which they carried in nine trucks. The apartments has more than 70 flats.
R S Shamanna, former president of Vidyagiri Residency Residents’ Welfare Association, said that he woke up to a loud sound. “I thought it was an earthquake. After seeing the devastation caused in Kodagu and Kerala recently, we could not sleep out of fear,’’ he told TNIE. Another resident on the condition of anonymity blamed various government authorities for allowing constructions nearby. “There is a vacant site next to our apartment where a huge rock was found. It took almost four months to remove the rock and make a flat surface. They used machines to break the rock, which has loosened the soil.
That might have caused the landslide.Now, it is the question of life and death for over 500 residents,’’ the resident said.Govindarajnagar MLA V Somanna, who visited the spot, told TNIE: “It is a private layout approved by the BDA. Only recently it was handed over to BBMP. BDA should have checked the safety aspects earlier. The landslide has happened because of BDA’s negligence. We will now discuss the threats. if any, with BBMP engineers and subsequently take up necessary measures.”