Builder gets stop work notice for Wadala project after crack in road

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a stop work notice to Ajmera Group on December 26 for an ongoing 35-storey project at Bhakti Park, Wadala, after an internal road of the housing society developed cracks

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a stop work notice to Ajmera Group on December 26 for an ongoing 35-storey project at Bhakti Park, Wadala, after an internal road of the housing society developed cracks. Three basements and eight podiums are part of the building plan. While the civic body blamed the fissure on pile foundation excavation, the developer blamed it on a leaky sewer line underneath.

According to the notice issued by BMC, a copy of which is in possession of HT, a geologist and structural consultant carried out the inspection. “The builder has been directed to assess the structural stability of surrounding areas and the building in the vicinity through the registered structural engineer and take immediate precautionary measures,” said the notice. (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

Vishwas Mote, assistant commissioner, M (West) ward, said, “The construction is being done on a marshy land which has led to cracks on the internal road of the society. We have asked the developer to take preventive measures.”

According to the notice issued by BMC, a copy of which is in possession of HT, a geologist and structural consultant carried out the inspection. “The builder has been directed to assess the structural stability of surrounding areas and the building in the vicinity through the registered structural engineer and take immediate precautionary measures,” said the notice.

The developer has also been asked to keep a round-the-clock vigil “by deploying men and machinery and barricading the affected portion to repair the cracked road”. The developer has been asked to get an investigation into the matter by VJTI or IIT-B.

Dhaval Ajmera, director, Ajmera Realty and Infra India Ltd, confirmed receiving the notice and said that the company has already appointed VJTI for an investigation.

“The road which has developed cracks has an old sewer line underneath it, which has suffered internal cracks. The water is seeping into the ground, which has unsettled the road, leading to the crack,” said Ajmera. “As a precautionary measure, we have deployed our people to ensure that the surrounding buildings are not affected.”

Ajmera insisted that water seeping through the sewer line “in fact, had seeped into the ongoing construction”. He said residents of the neighbouring buildings -- Ajmera Bhakti Park and Ajmera I – have also been informed that their “buildings are safe and there is no danger due to the settlement of the soil underneath the road”.

However, as a precautionary measure, the developer has shut down the internal road and has opened an alternate route for residents to use.

Santosh Daundkar, an RTI activist, flagged the issue of the crack in the road to BMC’s disaster management department on December 25.