BENGALURU: A compound wall running through a construction site partly collapsed on Monday morning, leaving the residents of adjoining buildings worried as large chunks of soil from below their compound too caved in.
The incident occurred at 10:30 am on Monday at a construction site owned by Legacy Builders on Cunningham Road. Part of the compound wall, along with several barricades, erected by the company collapsed and the entire construction excavation site was flooded with water. However, no one was injured in the accident.
As the day progressed, residents of Queens Corner apartments, adjacent to the site, found that large chunks of soil below their parking lot and pavement were also missing. A square piece of pavement, which was cut out, showed a gaping hole where a strong foundation should have been.
Worried that their building may collapse as well, residents immediately called a concrete mixer to pour cement into the hole to strengthen the foundation of the building.
The cracks which appeared in the ground had several residents worried. “This happened in the morning and we have managed to cordon off the area around the compound. However, the builders should have taken more care. What will we do if our building also collapses?” asked an irate resident.
Legacy Passes the Buck
However, the builder said the blame lay squarely with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board. In a statement which included copies of letters written to BWSSB, it said: “Legacy had informed and complained to BWSSB about the one-metre diameter faulty pipe running in their adjacent property which was leaking water and had requested for immediate repairs. Legacy had submitted a letter to the BWSSB on June 12, 2015, drawing the attention of the officials concerned to the impending danger posed by the water and the resulting erosion of soil and its possible devastating effect on the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, as anticipated, the pipe broke this morning and the water led to the earth caving in along with the large concrete pylons that Legacy had constructed causing large-scale damage to Legacy’s development and other properties in the neighbourhood. Legacy wishes to state that despite our best efforts to contain the situation, our attempts were in vain owing to lack of support from the BWSSB and the officials concerned.”
BWSSB officials could not be reached for comment.
