9 of family escape in time as 2-storey building collapses in Kalupur

A family of nine managed to escape in the nick of time as a two-storey building at Raja Mehta ni pol in Ahmedabad’s Kalupur area collapsed Monday. There are no casualties.

Lav Valand, 22, a resident of the building that collapsed, said, “The building was around 80-90 years old. We’d done small renovations, mainly plaster repairs, in the bathroom and some other rooms. But nothing major.”
He added that the condition of the building, which weakened over time, worsened after the recent heavy rains in Ahmedabad. “We were on alert after some bricks fell down from the ceiling this morning. So, we went out. After 15 minutes, one of the walls of the building fell down and took more than half of the building with it to the ground,” he added.

Valand added that the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had not pasted any notice warning against the dilapidated state of the building, despite its age. He also said that six two-wheelers were also damaged after the debris of the building fell on them.

Later, AMC’s estate department arrived at the site and knocked off the dangerous remaining parts of the building, according to Valand.

“We are staying at our relative’s house right now. We will have to find funds to repair the building or stay in a rented house for the time being,” said 45-year-old Sachin Valand, another resident of the same family.