One month after building collapse, Inderpuri residents still live in fear
After an unoccupied five-storeyed under-construction building tilted and rested precariously on an adjacent four-storeyed house in JJ resettlement colony in Inderpuri on May 7, the occupants of four buildings nearby have moved in with their relatives or to rented accommodations.
Several others in the vicinity, however, live in fear that their building could be the next to collapse.
According to residents, the main reason behind the collapse of the house on May 7 was its weak foundation. Five floors were constructed on a base area less than 22X10 feet. There are over 50 such five-storeyed buildings in the area, built on a base area less than 25 square yards, they said.
Moreover, the construction waste from the collapsed building has blocked the flow of water in the sewerage, leading to overflow of waste water. This could weaken the foundation of nearby houses if it rains.
The road has also been blocked with construction waste ever since the collapse.
Damodar, who lives near the collapsed building, said, “This building is on the lower side of a slope. During heavy rains last year, water rose to more than two feet. Imagine what will happen when it rains this time with the road too blocked.”
When HT visited the area on Friday, several residents said that despite repeated complaints to the corporation to remove construction waste blocking the area, the civic workers collect malba (construction waste) only once in two weeks.
The blocked sewerage line in the area could pose a grave threat to the foundation of these buildings, residents said.
Pointing to one such area, Yogesh Kumar, a resident, said, “The wall of this building was damaged due to the water overflowing from the sewerage. It was repaired only a month ago. Most of the drains here are choked and rain water leads to overflowing of the nullah.”
JJ colony in Inderpuri has around 3,000 houses — most of them constructed on 25-squareyard plots allotted in 1960s by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, when she resettled people living in slums near Pushta Road.
Jatin Kumar, a resident, said, “With time, the area attracted real estate brokers due to its proximity to New Delhi Municipal Council. Some people sold their lands to builders who divided them further into more than two plots.”
The locals also alleged that the illegal constructions mushroomed after officials were bribed for approvals.
Ajay Chaudhary, architect and former faculty member at Institute of Architecture and Town Planning, said that water seepage causes iron rods used to build the foundation to rust. This might lead to collapse of the building if tall structures up to five floors are erected up on small foundations of 20-25 square yards.”
A senior official of North Corporation said, “No building plan is needed for constructing houses in JJ colonies because the building plots are just 15-25 square yards only.”
He, however, said that rules prohibited the erection of more than two floors. “The corporation cannot do much as we do not have enough manpower. Secondly, even if we think of demolishing the illegal structures, there would be political intervention ,” he said.