Ticking time bomb? Neighbours scared

Bengaluru: Fear has gripped the residents staying in buildings next to the one that collapsed on Monday claiming the lives of seven on 7th A Cross in Ejipura. They refused to enter their houses, which have developed cracks, and took shelter at a small wedding hall belonging to the Ram temple located a few metres away from their houses.

Some six families of more than 20 people staying in neighbouring houses spent Monday night at the wedding hall. But they don’t know how long they have to live in the hall. Mohana, a homemaker, who stays in the house next to the collapsed building, told Deccan Chronicle, “Cracks have developed on the walls of our house and we are scared to go in. We don’t know when our house too will give in.”

Building owners have made arrangements for their tenants to sleep at the wedding hall, she said. “But we can’t afford to stay at the wedding hall when our belongings are in the house. Every day we struggle to make the ends meet and now we do not have enough money to shift to another house. We are left in the lurch.”

Yoga Kumar, a mechanic, along with his wife and three children, also spent the night at the hall. He said that they spoke to the building owner and asked him to return the advance of Rs 40,000. “But he has asked for two to three months. Till then, where do we live? The owner has rented out several houses and why can’t he afford to pay us,” he asked.

The reason behind collapse
Another resident who did not want to be named, pointed out that while the authorities claimed it to be a cylinder blast, there was no gas smell or a damaged cylinder. “Moreover, I doubt that the people who were staying in the building had a 14.5 kg gas cylinder. The officials found only a few 5 kg cylinders and I am sure that the explosion from a small cylinder will not cause such damage.”

“The building might have collapsed as it was old and recent heavy rains might have rendered weak. After every rain, they had to clear water and the water that gathered in front of the house this might have loosened the foundation. The owners and a few others are trying to cover it up saying it was a cylinder blast,” he said.

Asked about the neighbours hearing an explosion, he said they did hear a loud bang, but it may not be from a gas cylinder.