The buildings around the five-storey building in Ejipura that tilted dangerously are also under the scanner. After a spot inspection on Friday, Transport Minister R. Ramalinga Reddy instructed officials to issue notices to other ‘illegal’ buildings in the vicinity, besides recommending civic utilities to cut off supply of electricity and water.
That apart, Mr. Reddy is likely to recommend action against the jurisdictional officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for allowing illegal structures to come up in the densely populated narrow by-lanes of the area.
Following heavy rains, the pillars of the five-storey building that was being constructed on a 800-sq.ft. site buckled. Though the building owner has gone off the radar, the Viveknagar police have registered cases against him, the contractor and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s engineer.
After the decision to raze the illegal building was taken, demolition had begun. Mr. Reddy told The Hindu that one floor had already been demolished. “We inspected the building again today to ensure that it had not tilted further. The demolition of another floor will be completed by tomorrow evening. After that, machines will be used to demolish the remaining structure to ensure minimal damage to the neighbouring buildings,” he said.
He also said that the building owner’s relative had come to a settlement with the tenants of the neighbouring building. The tenants were evacuated after the under-construction building tilted. “We helped the families find alternate accommodation,” he said.
