Concerns raised over excavation near Belagavi

Belagavi: Vani Vilas Joshi, corporator of ward 43 of Belagavi City Corporation (BCC), has raised serious concerns over deep excavation work underway for a multi-storey building near Anagol Naka, alleging that it poses a direct threat to neighbouring structures and residents. In her letter written to BCC commissioner Karthik M, the former deputy mayor stated that a recent incident of soil collapse at the same site already left one person injured. She warned the situation must not be dismissed as a routine construction mishap, and alleged that excavation was being carried out without essential safeguards such as retaining walls, shoring, slope protection, barricading and supervision by qualified civil and structural engineers, despite residential buildings standing close to the edge of the pit. The corporator called for a thorough probe into the building's licence, plan approval and the Town Planning (TPO) department's permission process. She claimed the application for this project was initially rejected and sought a detailed inquiry as to how approval was later granted. She requested that the commissioner to immediately dispatch senior BCC officials, TPO staff, engineering personnel and technical experts to the site and initiate a full investigation.