Mumbai rains: Days after cracks appear, Ghatkopar complex road caves in

Residents had cordoned off the area a couple of days ago, when they spotted cracks on the road. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The residents of Kalpataru Aura complex at Ghatkopar's LBS Marg had seen this coming, but unfortunately, they were helpless - all thanks to the BMC and the authorities concerned. A part of the society's internal road, which runs parallel to a storm water drain, caved in on Friday morning. Apart from the compound wall tilting, no untoward incident was reported due to the cave-in. This was because residents had cordoned off the area after they spotted cracks on the road on Tuesday.

When residents noticed the cracks, they first alerted the civic body, which then informed the storm water drain (SWD) department. "We suddenly spotted the road going down. My colleague, who was on night duty, alerted the residents. Since then, we've all been here to ensure that nobody ventures into that area," said Ganesh Parmanand, a security guard at the society.

Some residents said they have been in a constant state of fear since the Wadala cave-in, anticipating that something similar would happen in their society. The cracks added to their fear, as the basement parking area of the 1-F and 1-G wings is just three metres from the compound wall.
"We decided to cordon off the area because we were scared that some untoward incident would happen," said Pushkar Chavan, a resident.
Keshav Kummireddi, a retired engineer from the society, said, "A 200-metre stretch of the same road had developed a hole last year around the same time. The builder had got it repaired."

Authorities speak
Bhagyashree Kapse, assistant municipal commissioner, N-ward, said, "I didn't receive any complaint last year. But the moment we got a call on Tuesday, immediate steps were taken." Manoj Wagh, executive engineer, SWD department, said, "My primary observation is that an underground pipe that meets the storm water drain must have leaked and led to soil erosion below the road." A spokesperson of the Kalpataru Group said, "Nullah desilting and dredging work over the past decade has weakened the road. It is completely unfounded to put any blame on us."

55
No. of flats the 1-F and 1-G wings of the society has

110
No. of families in each of the two wings

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