Mantri Square mall, which was temporarily shut down after a portion of roof collapsed on January 16 injuring two and triggering panic on the structure’s stability, is not set to reopen soon.
An independent technical committee submitted its report to the BBMP where it concluded that water seepage from tanks on the roof had corroded the iron used to build the portion of the roof that had collapsed.
The committee, with members of Civil Aid Technoclinic and a professor of civil engineering, submitted a 47-page report on Thursday with recommendations that needs to be complied with before the mall can open its doors to the public. The committee inspected the collapsed portion and conducted quality tests on the material samples collected.
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“The report states that the service corridor, built externally over the main building on a cantilever, has weakened due to water seepage and has to be strengthened further by erecting pillars. Measures need to be taken to avoid any seepage in future, the report recommends,” said Mayor G. Padmavathi.
She added that the BBMP engineering and town planning division will meet Mantri Developers and share the recommendations of the committee. They will be given time to comply with the recommendations.
“The committee will again conduct an inspection post implementation of the recommendations. Only after the committee clears the building will the civic body re-issue the Occupancy Certificate for it,” the Mayor added.
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Sources said that the developer will also be asked to submit an affidavit on the stability of the building and accepting responsibility for any future accidents, before the mall is re-opened.
Snehal Mantri, director, Marketing and HR, Mantri Developers, said that the firm had not yet received a copy of the report and could comment on the matter only after a thorough study of the report.