BENGALURU: It was panic at Sree Utopia Apartment at Kadubeesanahalli as the walls of the apartment have developed cracks. BBMP officials have told the residents to vacate the building for three days to carry out repair works.
Residents alleged that the cracks appeared as the foundation of the apartment weakened after heavy rains washing away a portion of it. Also, the construction work taken up by Salarpuria Sattva for a tech park, which will house Oracle offices, next to the apartment taken has weakened Utopia's foundation, they said.
When DC visited the spot on Monday, the apartment wore a deserted look with almost all the residents of its 'B' block having been evacuated.
Apartment has three blocks – A, B and C, each housing 42 flats. While A and C blocks are safe, prominent cracks have developed on the rear end of B block. Residents of all the 42 flats in the B block and a few on the other blocks have been evacuated. Neither the BBMP nor the apartment authorities have made alternative arrangements for accommodation for the residents, who are forced to find their own way out.
Mr Abhishek, a techie, whose is a family of four, said, “Ever since the construction started next to our apartment, we are facing problems. We had filed a police complaint 4-5 months ago, but no action was taken at that time. But now that the cracks have developed, government and BBMP officials visited the site on Sunday and advised us to vacate.”
Another resident, 67-year-old Gopalakrishna said, “Cracks appeared a while ago. But over time, they have grown bigger and now there is a threat of the apartment building collapsing. To protect it from further damage, BBMP officials asked us to vacate the building for three days. They will cement the cracks to make the building stable. But at the same time, we have to find alternative accommodation on our own.”
Mr Hari J., president, Sree Utopia Apartment Owners’ Welfare Association, said, “The apartment was built in 2009 and we never faced any problems. They started only after Salarpuria took up the construction work. The foundation of our apartment started getting affected as the developers used explosives to blast away rocks. They have already dug over 60 feet and are still going deeper, posing a serious threat to our apartment. Because of the blasting, a portion of the compound wall collapsed in January. We had lodged a police complaint, saying it was because of the negligence of the developers.”
Mayor inspects building
Mayor G. Padmavathi, who visited the apartment, said, “We have asked the residents to vacate the apartment as a precautionary measure. Experts have been asked to inspect the building and check its safety and file a report. Their report will decide whether the apartment is fit to live or not.”
She said, “Salarpuria Sattva is building a tech park in 5 acres and they have used dynamites to blast the rocks while digging the foundation. The explosions have damaged the nearby Utopia Apartment. The construction work will be stopped and the builder will be fined based on the violations.” She also visited Ramanna Colony opposite Poornima Theatre near J.C. Road. “Because of the construction work taken up by Solace Builder, a house has collapsed. I have directed officials to look into it and take action against the builder,” she said.
