Residents of Baner soc fear wall crash

Builder has told the inhabitants to not use the backyard, considering a trench being dug close to it; they find it unfair, reach out to PMC

The monsoon has inevitably exposed the condition of some of the city’s constructions that have caved in or stand vulnerable. The situation has also gripped a few residents of Baner, who are living on the edge as the safety walls around their residences are caving into the adjacent excavations. Fearing the wall collapse, they have been advised to stop using their backyard and porches by the builder.

The walls of Willed Ways — a complex where 45 families nest — are giving up the ground support and tilting towards the 60-foot crater dug for the construction by the builder, Solitaire, located near Balewadi High Street. This issue has prevailed for a year and a half with residents waging a war on multiple levels for their safety. The walls are showing cracks, the floor has started caving in and there are regular landslides during.

“The gap between the concrete floor, connecting the walls, is increasing as construction progresses. The walls are visibly tilting at the edge,” said Sandhya Tota, a homemaker residing in one of the four-row houses.

Tota pointed at multiple cracks on the walls that denote sinking sand with the brick and mortar structure’s support fading. Another resident Khushi Soni said, “We paid for the space to be used, but it remains unutilised for over the past one year. The builder has advised not to useit. It is unsure what might happen to the land and the house in case it caves in.”

She believes that buffer space is necessary between the excavation and their premises. “At present, there is hardly any gap, resulting in landslides,” said another resident Prashant Agarwal, adding that builder’s advice against using the basement space is unfair. He elaborated, “Our vehicles are parked in the area and the porch space needs to be used to drive the vehicles. Moreover, the builder also wants to bring down the already weakened walls after which the resident would be directly exposed, making the buildings more vulnerable.”

The civic body officials, however, said that the necessary steps have been initiated to ensure residents’ safety.

Amar Shinde, executive engineer of Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) building department said, “Regular visits are made by the officials to monitor the work. A retaining wall has been constructed along the residential area.”

Shinde further said that the cracks visible on the rock are caused by the blasting. “The due permissions were sought and the rocks would not budge as they are intact. Notice to the builder was also issued recently to conduct a structural audit,” he said.

The audit has revealed that existing measures would ensure safety to the wall. “A technical expert was also appointed after which support was provided by filling some material to support the land to prevent the caving,” Shinde told Mirror.

The builder, however, claims the prohibitions are advised as preventive measures and no harm would be done. Vilas Tambe, the general manager liaising with real estate developer Solitaire, said, “The retaining wall was built by digging the trench by 1x3 metres. The residents are advised to not use the space only as a precautionary measure.”