Apartment building collapses in Bengaluru, third such incident in two weeks

The families who lived in the apartment managed to escape as soon as they got the first indication, fire department officials said.
Earthmovers demolishing the building which collapsed on Thursday
Earthmovers demolishing the building which collapsed on Thursday
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In yet another incident of a building collapsing in Bengaluru, a five-story residential complex collapsed in Doctor's Layout in the city’s Kasturinagar on the afternoon of Thursday, October 7. While the incident caused panic among residents, fortunately, none were injured. This was the third such instance of a building collapsing in Bengaluru reported in the last 15 days. The families who lived in the apartment managed to escape as soon as they got the first indication, fire department officials said.

It has come to light that the builder had allegedly added an additional floor in violation of the approved plan. Gaurav Gupta, Commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), said after visiting the spot that a first information report (FIR) has been registered against the owner of the building. "The police are questioning the owner," he said.

"The permission for the collapsed building was obtained from the BBMP in 2012-13. The owner obtained the site under a special scheme and constructed ground plus two floors. Later, the owner built an additional floor and work was going on to build a penthouse. We are obtaining information in this regard," Gupta added.

There were eight flats in the apartment, which was built jointly by Ayesha Baig and Asif Ibrahim. Presently, Ayesha Baig owned four flats which were all sold. Three other families lived in the building.

"I have spoken to the three families who came out after getting the first indication, and they are safe now," Gupta further said.

The demolition work will be completed by Friday, for which the buildings located on either side have been vacated. The collapsed building reportedly had water and power connections even without obtaining an occupancy certificate (OC) from the BBMP.

On September 27, a building housing several Bengaluru metro construction workers collapsed into rubble. The very next day, a building in the Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (KMF) quarters near Dairy Circle collapsed just hours after the residents left the house. Both the incidents took place in south Bengaluru, within a kilometre from each other.

(With IANS inputs)

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