Queen's Corner tragedy: BBMP lax on building safety norms?

BENGALURU: It appears that BBMP and other planning authorities have not learnt any lessons from the past mistakes or prefer knee-jerk reactions to these tragedies. The prestigious Queen's Corner apartment ‘C’ block has developed cracks and a huge crater on its premises due to the deep excavation by Legacy builders for construction of high rise on Cunningham Road.

A day after the incident, the residents of the apartment were worried about the structural stability of their building. Occupants of all the 32 flats had to vacate and find accommodation at the nearby hotels and clubs to ensure that their daily routine was not affected and they could monitor the situation at their apartment.

It may be recalled that a couple of years ago a portion of earth had caved in at the High Point apartment. But despite that tragedy the BBMP officials still do not insist on surrounding impact assessment from those erecting high rise structures. It would ensure safety of those residing near these structures and avoid any untoward incident due to the engineering error.

Like obtaining environment impact assessment report, getting a report on neighbourhood impact must be made mandatory for high rise and double basement projects as they dig deep up to 30 feet. The area and surroundings must be secured with proper available technology to avoid structural damage to adjoining buildings, said V. Rangaswamy, consultant, Sundaram Architects.

These safety norms have not been followed, thereby putting the lives of hundreds of people at grave risk. Proper shoring and shuttering or soil nailing technology would have been the best solution to avoid land slide or caving in, he added.

Residents of the apartment alleged that the sanctioned building by-law has been violated and no set back was maintained. Besides, letters have been written since 2012 to the Legacy builders to secure the surroundings and ensure safety. But they have been ignored all that, putting residents in great distress, they alleged.

BBMP administrator T.M. Vijay Bhaskar said he had inspected and found that the builder had violated norms and failed to secure the surroundings. A team of engineers has been sent to the spot to ascertain the extent of damage. Based on the report necessary action will be initiated. An FIR has been registered against them, Bhaskar said.

‘Will not return until flats are certified fit’

Most of the panic stricken families camped at the C block of the Queens’ Apartment on Tuesday holding internal meeting on the possible solution, taking stock of the situation and hoping to get back to their abode at the earliest.

They witnessed cranes clearing uprooted trees, workers pumping out water, providing embankment to the affected area and hope of getting compensation in the form of rehabilitation by the Legacy builders until their flats were ‘certified fit for occupying’.

Lal Mir Kudi, president of Queens’ Apartment Residents’ Association flayed Legacy builders for putting them in deep distress. He said they have promised them accommodation at the nearby hotels, service apartments and clubs. Meanwhile, the residents have been demanding a structure stability report to ensure that they are safe in the apartment and not exposed to risk.

Prima facie it appears that the builders have failed to secure the property before taking up such huge and deep excavation for double basement. Since all the flats in C block are empty, adequate security is required. Many have not collected their valuables and documents. All they have taken is a couple of pair of clothes and other necessary things, Lal said.

Meanwhile advocate Ganesh V Shivaswamy, who owns an office in the apartment, said that after the meeting the residents have decided upon certain demands from the Legacy builders.  First of all soil testing should be done immediately along the compound wall, which is exposed to the risk. This helps to know the extent of damage caused. The generator sets, which needs to be shifted to a safer place, should be thoroughly checked.

The electrical system in the building should be secured to prevent any fire accident, he added.  All the affected residents must be relocated. None of these demands are unreasonable considering the deep distress in which the residents are facing, he said.

Another high-rise building in the high-security zone?

The proposed Legacy Cataleya Apartment on Cunningham Road has not only made the lives of residents of Queen’s Corner Apartment and Income Tax Colony miserable, but is allegedly a serious security threat to Raj Bhavan and Vidhana Soudha, which are located nearby.

Areas around one-km radius of Raj Bhavan are declared high-security zone and the construction of any building over 15 metre height is banned. But there are already a few high-rise buildings in the high-security zone. There have been debates against government agencies, allowing builders to construct high rise buildings in the locality.

Now, Legacy Cataleya is also at the centre of a controversy as it is a 13-storey building. The police had perceived Prestige Khoday Towers, a 17-storey commercial building that overlooks Raj Bhavan and Vidhana Soudha, as a security threat, and had suggested the builders to make several changes in the structure to resolve security issues. But several builders had questioned the police move, alleging that the police did not point out to security threat from Capitol Hotel which is close to Raj Bhavan.

DCP (Central) Sandeep Patil told this newspaper that all the aspects will be investigated. “We have taken up a criminal case against the builders in connection with the Monday’s incident. During the course of investigation, we will find out whether the building poses a security threat to Raj Bhavan and Vidhana Soudha,” he said.