70 families move out of their homes as apartment blocks develop cracks

BENGALURU: As many as 70 families were evacuated from their flats at an apartment complex in

Kadubeesanahalli

of Bellandur ward, east Bengaluru, on Sunday after certain portions of the building developed cracks. Residents say the cracks on the flooring, columns and compound wall of the apartment appeared due to a 40-ft-deep excavation work at an adjacent property where a technology park is coming up. Saturday's rain worsened the situation as the crevices began to widen.

Residents of Blocks B and A2 of Sree Utopia Apartments, Yamalur Road, vacated their homes in panic and sought shelter in other blocks or at their friends and relatives' place. The property has about 120 housing units in three blocks and is spread over 1.33 acres.

B V

Vasanthi Amar

, joint commissioner (Mahadevapura zone), BBMP, inspected the spot and said the Palike has directed the apartment owner to make alternative arrangements for the evacuated families as they wouldn't be allowed to return till the structures undergo stability test and are declared safe for occupancy after necessary repair works.

“We have also ordered stoppage of construction work at the adjacent site till the apartment is declared safe. Our officials will check whether the ongoing excavation works and construction are as per norms, and if necessary safety measures are in place,“ she added.

Mayor G Padmavathi said the adjacent project (a tech park) was by

Salarpuria Sattva Group

and that a compound wall on its site too was damaged. “We got to know that the builder had blasted rocks using dynamite to clear the ground for construction work. Apartment residents claimed this resulted in cracks on their units. Our officials are looking into all aspects and action will be initiated against the guilty,“ the mayor added.

“Builders at the adjacent site say they have put in place anchoring technology to ensure there's no damage to nearby structures either due to earth caving in or dynamite blasting, which they were doing to clear rocks. Because of heavy rain, the soil next to the apartment might have loosened, resulting in cracks on columns and compound wall of the apartment,“ added Vasanthi.

Vasanthi said there are also allegations about the apartment complex lacking proper occupancy certificate from the civic body. “We will check related documents as well,“ she added.

The Salar puria

Sattva Group

declined to comment on the issue.