Ghatkopar tower compound wall crashes, road caves in

Mumbai: The compound

wall

of a

highrise

residential complex near R City Mall,

Ghatkopar

, collapsed and an internal

road

caved in early on Friday.

The 19-storey building is one of five societies at Kalpataru Aura Housing Estate and has 55 flats. The eight-ft high wall was 100-ft long and had a stormwater drain running along it on one side and an internal service road on the other. The 4km drain originates at Vikhroli Park Site and terminates at Ghatkopar creek, below the railway tracks.

Residents were alerted about the collapse and cave-in by security personnel at 5am. Resident Keshav Kommireddi, who is an engineer, told TOI, “We assume the collapse was caused by drain water seeping into the wall and faulty construction.” Another resident, Jagdish Shetty, said, “We noticed hairline cracks on the wall and road last September and we had written to BMC but it did not act. We wrote again in June as the monsoon was approaching and we did not want the situation to worsen.”

Kalpataru stated, “The wall was built 10 years ago on a solid foundation, as per laid-down standards, with necessary permission. It is on an uninhabited private stretch at the back of the society, adjoining a BMC nullah. The society was handed over to residents almost a decade back. But desilting by agencies led to scouring of soil below the nullah wall, leading to its weakening at certain points.’’

Assistant municipal commissioner (N ward) Bhagyashree Kapse did not respond to repeated calls.