Warnings aplenty, all were ignored

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 8

The Kharar building collapse seems to be nothing but a man-made disaster as there were enough warning signs available, but all were ignored by the builder.

The owner of Ambika Group was constructing a hotel adjoining the existing office of the firm in Sector 115, on the Kharar-Landran road. According to residents of the area, the work was going on for the past around two months. The builder was doing massive excavation to construct a double-storey basement. The site was located on the entrance to JTPL Township.

Amandeep Singh, a resident of the township, said the excavation was done without taking any safety measures. The foundation of the existing office of Ambika Group could be seen bare.

Rakesh Kumar Sharma, a resident of the nearby colony who deals in construction business, said the way excavation was being done adjoining the existing building, this disaster was bound to happen. “It was so horrific and obvious that one morning while going to work, I kept standing there for a few minutes, so that I could tell someone that the building could collapse anytime. I left after I could not find any technical staff around. Only a few workers were there.”

Rajkumar Koul, chief, JTPL Residents’ Welfare Association, said the construction work was being done in a terrible manner and the absence of safety measures was deplorable. “The Municipal Committee, Kharar, seems to be on a spree about giving its nod to all legal or illegal projects without paying any heed to the safety norms.” He demanded safety audit of all under-construction multi-storey buildings falling under the Kharar MC “so that such man-made disasters could be prevented”.