As many as 404 buildings in Bengaluru are structurally weak and can collapse at any time, a new survey by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has revealed.
The latest assessment represents a big jump from the previous one in 2019, when only 185 such buildings were found, and comes against the backdrop of back-to-back building collapses that had forced the civic body to order a survey on dilapidated structures.
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According to the BBMP, none of the buildings that collapsed recently figured in the earlier survey. “The new survey has a 15 days' deadline. As per the preliminary report, we have identified 400-plus such dilapidated buildings,” BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta told DH.
A BBMP engineer, who is part of the survey, said the findings are preliminary and the civic body is yet to conduct a structural assessment. “The buildings have been identified based on appearance and longevity. All the identified buildings will be assessed by structural engineers following which we will serve a notice for initiation of further action,” the engineer said.
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The latest survey has found that the south zone has the highest number of such buildings (103) followed by the west zone (95). Interestingly, the Bommanahalli zone, where no weak structures were found during the 2019 survey, now has nine buildings.
Similarly, RR Nagar Zone, which had only one structurally weak building in 2019, now has 11 such buildings. “Of the 11 buildings, nine are police quarters in Kengeri. We have apprised the police department also,” a BBMP official from RR Nagar zone said.
Engineers are also identifying buildings that require immediate demolition. “There are a few such buildings and we are planning to raze them within 24 hours,” an official from the south zone said.
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