Disaster waiting in Diamond District Apartments
Residents of the prestigious Diamond District Apartments, located on Old Airport Road, are a worried lot. Around 100 cement pillars on which the apartment complex stands have developed cracks due to seepage.
Residents of Diamond District allege that beams and columns at the basement of the sprawling complex have developed large cracks. The builder, entrusted with maintenance, refutes the charge and says there is nothing to worry. But structural engineers say immediate repairs are required to avert a tragedy.
Structural engineers feel that immediate repairs are needed to avert “a great human tragedy”. But Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials, who should be visiting the site and advising on repair works, wash their hands off, saying they can’t act unless the residents lodge a formal complaint.
But the building developer, which takes care of maintenance, poohpoohed the residents’ fear. “Some people are trying to tarnish our image. Our market value has already taken a beating because of bad publicity,” Shafi Rehman, a senior staff member of the maintenance wing, told BM. “There are no cracks as such, and there is no need to worry.”
Diamond District houses over 900 units — both commercial and residential. Once it was rated one of the finest structures on Old Airport Road, but now the increasing cracks in its basement pillars are giving the once proud dwellers sleepless nights. “We are extremely worried,” a resident said. “There are too many cracks in the pillars. Our lives are at stake, but nobody seems to care.”
“This place will soon become unfit for human habitation. Our lives are in danger,” a resident pointing out the cracks in pillars and beams at the basement, said.
One said, “The building management is not even bothered about our safety. We are snubbed every time we raise the issue. We have lost all hopes on the management. But if the civic authorities don’t address this soon, lots of lives would be lost.”
Structural designers, too, said that the cracks pose a grave threat. Sreenivas M, an infrastructure expert, said, “Some of the pillars where the cracks have developed are expansion of joint columns. The pictures clearly show that they have not been properly repaired. The complex has vast gardens and swimming pool which result in continuous seepage of water. The pillars may collapse if they are not repaired soon.”
Construction work of the complex began in 1994, and the 17 blocks — A to Q — were ready for occupation from 1998. But over the past one year, cracks in the basement beams and columns have worsened, except for Block G, where there are corporate guesthouses and VIP flats, the residents alleged. When they complained, the maintenance department carried out some cosmetic repairs.
Civic authorities, when asked about the “disaster waiting to happen”, sidestepped the issue, putting the onus on the builder. “The builder has to address the problem. They would be held responsible if any accident takes place,” Somshekar S, chief engineer (East), BBMP, said. “However, we have the provision to act against structures posing threat to lives under KMC Act. We will issue a notice to the builder if the residents write to us.”
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