A congested pocket of residential buildings that seemed to have been jammed up against each other, Ejipura is gaining a notorious reputation for unsafe buildings.
Monday’s incident adds to a long line of disasters in the area that is in close proximity to Koramangala and IT parks close to the Inner Ring Road. Less than two months ago, a five-storey building, which had two illegal additional floors, started to tilt. The building had to be demolished.
The narrow main road leads to narrower bylanes where it becomes clear that residents themselves are encroachers. Five-storey structures are a common sight while setbacks are not seen in any of the buildings.
In the building collapse on Monday, parts of the neighbouring building, which seemed to share a wall, also sustained significant structural damage.
While residents said BBMP engineers turn a blind eye to violations — if, a certain fee is given — BBMP officials claimed illegalities blossomed in the area due to political patronage.
“You just can’t take any action or serve notices as most owners have influence with local politicians,” said an engineer.
Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the problems of Ejipura can be seen in revenue pockets, which now abound high-growth areas. “In most of east Bengaluru, these violations are common. The rentals are high as software parks are in the vicinity. People have stopped leaving setback and now violate the floor area plan. Even the akrama-sakrama scheme will do little as these violations are more than the 50% stipulated by the rules,” he said.
