SLIPPING SOIL CAUSES PANIC AFTER WADALA WALL COLLAPSE

Mumbai:shifting of loose soil near Lloyd Estate in Wadala, where a wall collapse led to at least six cars caving into the neighbouring under-construction site of Dosti Realty on Monday, triggered panic among residents on Tuesday. The incident, which residents termed a landslide, occurred as Dosti Realty started to repair the damaged part of Llyod Estate’s compound wall.

“As we watched the ongoing repairs, another portion of the concrete began to slip and fell into the gorge. The builder is to blame as he did not take necessary precautions,” said GB Yadav, a member of the Lloyd Estate society.

Panicking, the residents called the fire brigade, which inspected the site again. “It is a matter of safety of 5,000 residents. Even though the structural auditor said the building is safe, we are unsure, as construction will continue,” said another resident Simran Parmar.

Dosti Realty, however, denied the incident: “There are pictures and videos being circulated on some media channels and Whatsapp that there was another landslide at the site at 3.45pm which is not true... We are carrying out remedial measures.”

Residents of Lloyd Estate claimed the tragedy could have been averted if authorities paid heed to letters they sent over the past year. Nauser Dalal, a resident, said, “In May 2017, tiles and the floor of the parking lot began to sink. When we realised this was linked to construction next door, we wrote to the BMC, fire brigade, and police commissioner, but no action was taken.”

The police has asked BMC’S building proposals department to explain what led to the collapse.

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