A three-storeyed building collapsed near the Mani Hotel Centre on Nandivelugu Road here on Saturday but a disaster was averted as the inmates had been evacuated just a few days ago. The GMC took up road widening work on the road a few months ago and issued notices to the building owner to demolish part of the building.
K. Narasimha Rao, who built it 12 years ago, leased out portions of it.
Locals blamed the contractors engaged by the Guntur Municipal Corporation for digging the drains close to the building. An engineering team of the GMC inspected the site and an enquiry had been ordered by Municipal Commissioner C. Anuradha.
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Ms. Anuradha said notices had been served on Mr. Rao to evacuate the building. She said the building lacked structural safety.
At about 4 p.m. on Saturday, the building came down and within a few minutes, video footage of the collapse went viral. Locals said the tenants had complained that it was shaking and expressed their fears.