Even as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has prepared a list of 404 buildings in Bengaluru that are structurally weak and could collapse at any time, a newly built seven-storey police quarters along Magadi Road tilted dangerously by 1.5 feet on Saturday, October 16 due to a wide crack.
The policemen, who along with fire brigade personnel have benn generally involved in evacuating families from houses that collapsed in the recent past in the city, were themselves forced to evacuate as a crack in the building developed into a wide gap forcing the structure to tilt. As many as 38 families residing in the 'B' block building have been evacuated as authorities do not want to take any chances with their safety. The titlting 'B' block building is posing danger to the 'C' Block building as well, so officials are contemplating moving families from 'C' block building too. The evacuated families will reportedly be shifted to the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police quarters.
Sources said that poor quality of construction work has resulted in the tilting of the building. The police quarters were allotted in 2020 to families of policemen working in Bengaluru, and the construction work of this apartment complex was completed three years ago.
The residents said Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant had visited the quarters last week and was informed about the condition of the building. BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said the tilt could be due to lack of beams in the construction. "The building was constructed using Japanese technology. The construction is done using cement blocks. There is no beam installed between blocks and they are not supported well. The information is that the building was constructed three years ago and there is a six-and-a-half inch crack," he added.
The latest survey was ordered by the BBMP after a number of old and weak buildings in the city collapsed following incessant rains. Families have had a narrow escape in at least three such incidents.
The latest survey has revealed that among 404 weak buildings, the highest number is in the south zone at 103 followed by 95 in the west zone. Structural engineers will assess these buildings and further decisions will be taken based on their assessment.