After Wadala cave-in High Court directs civic body, IIT-B to appoint panel to implement remedial steps

Damaged cars at Lloyd’s Estate in Wadala. Prashant Nadkar

The Bombay High Court Tuesday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) to appoint a three-member panel to implement remedial measures suggested by the IIT to prevent a Wadala cave in-like situation. The court directed that the panel has a civic official and two experts from the IIT.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Dosti Blossom Co-operative Housing Society Limited for cancellation of the building’s permission granted to Dosti Realty and carrying out excavation work. The petition says that because of the excavation, the building was getting damaged. The petition was filed following the June 25 incident in which part of a common compound wall and part of the driveway of the parking lot of Lloyd’s Estate caved in following torrential rain. Eight cars were damaged and 120 families were asked to vacate their houses fearing that the cave-in could have caused structural damage.

Following the incident, the court appointed the IIT as an expert agency and said it is expected to visit Dosti Blossom Cooperative Housing Society Limited, including the affected buildings and plots, to ascertain urgent measures that needed to be taken for dealing with such situations, suggest long-term measures as remedy and find out the cause of the incident. A report was submitted last week.

On Wednesday, a division bench of Justice A S Oka and Justice R I Chagla directed the Municipal Commissioner to appoint an officer to be part of the committee. “To ensure that the recommendation of the IIT, both short and long term are implemented, it is necessary that the Municipal Commissioner appoints a senior officer. The IIT, too, shall nominate two experts. A committee shall be set up comprising these three persons,” the bench said. The bench further asked the experts to supervise the work recommended by the IIT.