The final report by Jadavpur University, on structural examination of the buildings in Bowbazar, was submitted to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) today, and which highlighted that nine of the total 18 buildings are in severe condition while ground subsidence of 40mm was observed.
The report said the East-West Metro tunnelling work affected many of the buildings which had stable structural strength. The audit report of 18 buildings stated many of the residential structures at Durga Pituri Lane (DPL) at Bowbazar now pose a threat as it now stands in a severe condition. Some of the affected premises in this lane are 10 A DPL, 10B DPL, 03 DPL, 04 DPL, 06 DPL etc. The department of construction engineering of the Jadavpur University was asked by the KMC earlier to assess the structural stability of the buildings, many of which developed cracks due to tunnelling work by the boring machines. Some buildings in that area are centuries old.
The report has further highlighted ground subsidence of 40mm, increasing the risk of collapse of buildings that now are in a precarious state. Buildings that pose a risk of collapse are tagged as ‘dangerous buildings’ by the KMC and subsequently, they are either demolished fully or partially, depending on the assessment by structural engineers.
With the submission of this report, the KMC mayor Firhad Hakim said that this final report by JU engineers will be submitted to the civic body’s building department. He said thereafter a meeting will be convened with the KMRCL authorities who are implementing the project. The director-general of the building department shall take up the matter with Metro authorities so the latter could take appropriate measures, he said.
The KMRCL authorities have recently announced that tunnelling work would be halted during the monsoon period. About 87 residents had to be evacuated and shifted to city hotels in the wee hours on 13 May after nine buildings witnessed new cracks in the dead of night. The KMRCL had arrived at the conclusion that the cracks in the nine structures appeared due to the ingress of water in the tunnel from 11 different points in the last leg of the East-West Metro.