Landslide at redevelopment project causes cracks in Sion housing society
MUMBAI, July 16 -- Residents of Parivar Cooperative Housing Society in Sion's Pratiksha Nagar had a narrow escape on Tuesday evening after a large heap of soil from the adjoining Raymond Realty redevelopment project collapsed, triggering cracks in the ground around the building's foundation leading to concerns over structural safety. No injuries were reported.
The incident occurred after a portion of the excavated earth at the construction site gave way, leading to soil subsidence and visible cracks in the society's compound as the ground around the foundation shifted. Alarmed residents alerted authorities, following which officials from the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), Mhada's contractor BG Shirke, and representatives of Raymond Realty visited the site on Wednesday to assess the damage. "Prima facie there is no damage to our building. However, the land surrounding the building's foundation has developed cracks," said Sunil Dudhale, secretary of Parivar Cooperative Housing Society which has 140 flats.
"The intensity of the landslide was so forceful that the strong iron shed and cement concrete platform of "Ankush Mitra Mandal" located outside the wall compound of the small garden at the back of our society has completely collapsed and fallen down. Also, it was noticed that the wall compound at the back of our society has cracked and the ground has cracked under the D-wing of the society," added Dudhale. A Mhada official alleged that the incident was the result of negligence by the SRA contractor, claiming the warning signs had been flagged earlier. "We had earlier reported to the SRA regarding subsidence of land near the boundary due to the gap between sheet piles. No action was taken by them," the official said, adding that this was the second such incident at the site.
However, Raymond Realty rejected the allegation of negligence, while SRA Executive Engineer Dinesh Mahajan denied Mhada's claim that the authority had been alerted about the issue earlier. Describing the incident as a "mudslide" rather than a landslide, a Raymond Realty spokesperson said, "It was just a mudslide due to heavy monsoons. The mudslide happened in a minor section which accounts for less than 10% of the excavated site."
Following a joint inspection, officials confirmed the society's concerns. "There was subsidence of land on the construction working site and cracks were observed in the boundary wall of adjacent Mhada societies," an official said.
By Wednesday evening, around 75% of the backfilling work had been completed....
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