Illegal sections of crack-ridden Wazirganj building to be razed

LDA vice-chairman says 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

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.

Heavy-duty jacks and parallel brick pillar deployed to temporarily stabilize the structure, aiming to give 25 evacuated families a narrow window to retrieve their belongings before demolition. (Sourced)

According to civic officials, 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.

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.

“The building cannot be strengthened with all the jacks and additional pillars. The interim measures are being taken to prevent the structure from falling apart because it may cause damage to other structures. The exercise to place jacks was undertaken so that the families could be allowed to take out their belongings from the building. Ultimately, it has to be demolished,” said the V-C .

“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.

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.

“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. Belongings of 25 families are in the flats. The team will take a call whether they are allowed to go inside and take out all their belongings,” he added.

“Police teams have cordoned off all four sides so that no one goes inside without permission. 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. Repair work is being carried out all throughout the day,” said Singh.

The near-tragedy at SA Apartment in Ch Barood Khana had exposed a massive enforcement gap on Monday. The incident occurred between 10:30am and 11am, putting lives of dozens of residents at risk. LDA officials present at the scene confirmed that rooms had been constructed and sold even on the illegal sixth floor (terrace).

In 2020, the LDA had also issued a notice to the owner, Shahabuddin, over the alleged violation on the sixth floor. However, the property was not sealed, allowing the alleged unauthorised construction to continue, said officials.