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A three-storey under-construction building in Bengaluru’s Majestic area collapsed and turned to rubble on Tuesday night. Fortunately, the incident did not lead to any loss of lives. The building which collapsed, was meant for a hotel inside the once popular Kapali theatre premises.
The Hindu quoted Fire Department officials as saying that the collapse occurred sometime around 9:45 pm and did not result in any casualties. One official told the newspaper that the occupants of nearby buildings were already shifted away from the building on Monday after cracks had appeared in the building.
Collapse of 4 stroyed building in Majestic ,Bengaluru ... pic.twitter.com/et8eySJPt6
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The report mentioned that the age-old theatre was replaced by a mall and multiplex in 2017 and work for that is still in progress.
Bangalore Mirror (BM) reported that the ground was dug 80 feet below ground level to build the multiplex and this had led the now collapsed building to develop cracks, quoting sources.
Soon after the collapse, officials of the fire and emergency personnel launched a thorough probe to see if someone had been trapped in the rubble.
The incident led former minister and local Congress MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao to visit the spot post the collapse. He told reporters that the owner of the under-construction site should compensate damages caused by the collapse. He also said that he has asked officials in charge to scrutinise permission and due clearance given for the building plan.
BM quoted Professor HN Ramesh, principal of University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE), Bangalore University as saying that the owner and the construction company engaged in construction of the mall and multiplex did not consult a geotechnology expert. He said this incident should serve as a warning for general buildings as well that they should engage a geotech consultant and ensure that soil testing is done even for building an ordinary house