12 hours after evacuation,Madhav Park flats collapse

This is the second instance of building collapse in Vadodara. On August 28,two towers of a residential colony,built by VUDA (Vadodara Urban Development Authority),collapsed killing 11 people in the nearby Atladara area. This time,the authorities were more alert. They evacuated the flats in time to ensure that there was no loss of life.

The VMC,which is investigating the cause of the building collapse,said that prima facie,the structural faults appear to be the reason behind the mishap. VMC’s Town Development officer K L Patel said that a complaint has been made against developer Samir Jatinchandra Amin and structural engineer K M Gandhi,who had approved the design of the original structure. Gandhi will now lose his license that was issued by the corporation.

The VMC has registered a complaint with J P Road police station. Municipal Commissioner Manish Bharadwaj said,“Our structural engineers had conducted an audit of the buildings as soon as residents complained of the sinking structure. The engineers have reported that the structure had several lacuna that were ignored by the structural engineer of the building. We have cancelled his license.” The JP Road police,however,deny that an FIR has been lodged against the builder or the structural engineer.

“The VMC has only given us an application and we are going ahead with the investigation,but it does not appear like a case of negligence and so no arrests have been made,” J P Road police Inspector R L Sanghani said.

Most residents,who had rushed to the spot the moment they heard the collapse,watched helplessly from across the road as cranes pulled in to remove the debris from the road.

One of the residents,who lived in one of the wings for the past five years and runs a garment business,said,“Right now I can’t think of anything. I don’t have a roof over my head. I do not even know whom to blame for this collapse. The structures had cracks in several places,like many other buildings. But I never thought it would collapse.”

According to Bharadwaj,the sudden collapse of the three wings of the building meant a narrow escape for the residents. However,since all flats were evacuated by the VMC authorities and the police on Thursday afternoon,there were no casualties.

On Thursday,the police had barricaded the entrance of the three wings,following a warning issued by VMC about the unsafe condition of the structure. The lower floor of the building sunk into the ground,causing the stairway to cave in as well,making immediate evacuation necessary.