A three-storeyed residential building constructed in violation of the sanctioned plan collapsed on Thursday evening in Doctors’ Layout, Kasturinagar, becoming the third such incident in the city that has already seen two collapses recently.
However, there were no casualties as residents had evacuated the building, located on 2nd cross in the layout, the previous day after witnessing cracks in the basement.
According to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials, the building, VJ Infinity, was built by AN Builders in 2012-13 on a 40X60 plot in Benniganahalli (Ward 50).
“The building was a joint venture between Ayesha Baig, Mohammed Asif, Mohammed Iyazuddin and AN Builders,” said Gaurav Gupta, Chief Commissioner of the BBMP, who inspected the spot.
“The plan was approved in 2012-13 for building ground plus two floors. However, the builder violated the sanctioned plan by building three floors and was building a penthouse illegally.”
Despite not having the occupancy certificate (OC), builders had availed electricity, BWSSB connections and sold the units to buyers, said Gupta, shedding light on the illegalities that are quite rampant in the city.
Of the eight flats, four were retained by Ayesha and the other four were sold to the public.
“Occupants of the building informed me that a few days ago the building developed cracks and began to tilt,” said Gupta. “Gripped by panic, residents vacated the building. It collapsed all of a sudden on Thursday evening. At the outset, it appears that builders have violated the sanctioned plan and built additional floors, causing overloading and eventual collapse.”
The chief commissioner said a civil and criminal complaint had been filed against the builders and owners. Ramamurthy Nagar police confirmed that they have taken up a case against the owners and the builders.
Fire and Emergency Services personnel rushed to the spot as soon as news of the building collapse reached them.
“There was no one trapped under the rubble. However, a dog was found trapped inside one of the apartments. Our personnel rescued it safely,” a fire brigade personnel told DH.
Gupta ordered the demolition of the building. “We will start demolishing the building and complete it by Friday evening. We have evacuated the residents of adjoining two buildings as a safety precaution,” Gupta added.
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