LUCKNOW The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has ordered demolition of the illegal sections of a multi-storey residential building in Wazirganj after the structure developed cracks on Monday.
An exercise was initiated on Tuesday to strengthen the multi-storey residential building at Wazirganj by placing multiple jacks, a parallel brick pillar to provide extra support after a pillar developed cracks, forcing emergency evacuation of 25 families on Monday. Belongings of 25 families are in the flats. The incident occurred between 10:30am and 11am, putting lives of dozens of residents at risk. In 2020, the LDA had also issued a notice to the owner, Shahabuddin, over the alleged violation on the sixth floor.
LDA officials present at the scene confirmed that rooms had been constructed and sold even on the illegal sixth floor (terrace). Because it may cause damage to other structures, the interim measures are being taken to prevent the structure from falling apart. The exercise to place jacks was undertaken so that the families could be allowed to take out their belongings from the building. “Police teams have cordoned off all four sides so that no one goes inside without permission.
“The building cannot be strengthened with all the jacks and additional pillars. “The structural audit has been done…it cannot survive very long. A notice will be served to the building owner. Time will be given to the families and thereafter it has to be demolished,” he added. “A team of LDA, PWD is assessing the work in progress. Jacks were brought from Hardoi and other places. Once the work is completed, a technical team will assess the strength of the building. It has to be figured out how long it will remain stable. The team will take a call whether they are allowed to go inside and take out all their belongings,” he added. The families are putting up with their relatives at different locations. For us, human life is precious. After placing jacks, we are in the process of giving additional support by constructing additional pillars of bricks.
Ultimately, it has to be demolished,” said the V-C . ADM (city) Mahendra Pal Singh said the administration’s first priority was to make the building stable and prevent it from collapsing as it is situated in one of the residential areas. “If the building collapses it will cause damage to other structures around it,” he said. Repair work is being carried out all throughout the day,” said Singh. However, the property was not sealed, allowing the alleged unauthorised construction to continue, said officials.
The near-tragedy at SA Apartment in Ch Barood Khana had exposed a massive enforcement gap on Monday.
The building’s sanctioned plan only permitted the construction of a basement and three floors, but the builder illegally extended the property to six floors, according to civic officials. Confirming the development, LDA vice-chairman Prathmesh Kumar said the illegal structure will be demolished first and a final decision for demolishing the entire structure will be taken in consultation with the district administration.
