Wall collapse in posh Navi Mumbai complex destroys 3 luxury cars

The incident occurred around 10.15 am as rain lashed sector 56, 58 of Seawoods. A BMW, a Mahindra XUV and a Maruti Swift Dzire car parked behind building number 57 of the NRI Phase II complex bore the brunt of the wall collapse.

NAVI MUMBAI: A wall collapse in the open parking area of a posh housing complex in Seawoods on Wednesday morning damaged three luxury cars.

Navi Mumbai, India - June 28, 2023:Slab fell on 3 parked cars at NRI complex phase 2 , Seawoods in Navi Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

There was no injury or loss of life and members of the society have alleged negligence by the management.

The incident occurred around 10.15 am as rain lashed sector 56, 58 of Seawoods. A BMW, a Mahindra XUV and a Maruti Swift Dzire car parked behind building number 57 of the NRI Phase II complex bore the brunt of the wall collapse.

Deepak Yewale, a committee member of the society said, “The wall at the base of one of the buildings collapsed due to heavy rain. Three cars parked there were damaged. Fortunately, there was no injury or loss of life.”

Yewale said, “It is an old wall constructed by CIDCO. It had developed some cracks and repair had been carried out. It was probably not done right.”

“There are 11 buildings in our complex. We will be soon conducting a structural audit of all the walls and act accordingly,” added Yewale.

Nutan Mishra, an advocate whose Mahindra XUV was destroyed said she had a lucky escape as she chose to drive her another car to work.

“I usually drive XUV to my office in Belapur. Today, I happened to take my other car. I had just left the complex and reached the Seawoods traffic signal, when I learnt that the wall had collapsed on my car,” said Mishra.

“I shudder to think what would have happened had I been in the car as I usually do at that time, and the wall had collapsed. It was a difference of just five minutes,” Mishra said adding, “What if my children had taken the car? The poor car wash man was there earlier, and he could have been hurt.”

“My car, which was in the middle, bore the maximum brunt of the wall collapse and was destroyed. I don’t think even its engine can be salvaged. What would have happened to a human?” asked Mishra.

Mishra, who has recently shifted to the complex said, “This is so dangerous. The society management claims it is not responsible for the wall collapse. How can they not be responsible?

“I don’t understand why the management did not place any warning sign near the wall. There must have been cracks in the wall, that’s why it fell.”

She claimed, “In fact, looking at the condition of the walls on the right and left of where the incident took place, there is every likelihood of a couple of more walls collapsing soon.”

Basavaraj Masangi, whose BMW car was damaged said, “Thankfully, there were no car washers or children in the area when the incident took place. Had they been there, it would have been catastrophic.”

Masangi said, “The wall was not repaired. I don’t know if it had developed any cracks.”

Sanjeev Kumar, a businessman and a resident of the complex, said, “This is gross negligence on part of the society management. There is no maintenance manager or a chief estate manager. There is a lack of adequate staff.”

The Swift Dzire car, damaged in the incident, belongs to one of Kumar’s staff members.

Kumar added, “Even after the incident, the management has not come forward to register even a police complaint. The car owners got their complaint registered.”

Kumar said, “Thankfully, there was no loss of human life. Who would have been responsible had that happened?”

Ranjan Ghjosal, society chairman, said, “The wall that collapsed was part of the original construction by CIDCO. These are freestanding, unanchored, dividing walls not providing any structural support to any residential building. The structure is less than 12 years old.”

“Authorities have been duly informed. The cause of the collapse is being examined, and if required, external experts will be consulted. However, the immediate possible cause could be continuous vibration coming from construction activity going on at a nearby plot.”

Responding to allegations of negligence, Ghosal said, “We have a full-fledged maintenance staff for plumbing, civil and electrical works. They regularly attend to any complaints. There were no prior signs or warning before the collapse. If there was, it would have been acted upon immediately.”