Times News NetworkKanpur: A wall collapsed and the floor caved in at the four-storey Harmony Apartment in Naveen Nagar L-Block of Kakadeo on Friday morning. The building has 16 flats, in which 13 families lived. Police vacated the building as a precautionary measure.After the incident, panic spread among the 13 families. On receiving information, teams from the police, SDRF and Metro reached the spot and evacuated all families safely.Some residents alleged that the accident had happened due to Metro excavation work, while some others accused KDA officials of serious negligence, saying that on April 17, 2024 they had complained about illegal construction and shops in the basement. They said a notice was also issued but no action was taken. They alleged excavation continued in the basement and the ground weakened due to rainwater accumulation, which led to the incident.Govind Nagar MLA Surendra Maithani reached the spot and spoke on phone with the Metro’s project manager and the KDA vice-chairman. He said, “For now, the Metro’s project manager is saying that this accident did not happen because of the Metro.” He said the KDA vice- chairperson was asked to get the matter investigated by a technical team, and if the accident occurred because of the construction of the building, action would be taken against the builder.UPMRC joint general manager Panchanan Mishra said that as soon as information about the incident was received, the Metro team went to the spot for inspection. He said waterlogging was found in the apartment’s basement, and that illegal construction and excavation activities were taking place there, along with an under-construction ramp.“It is possible that due to waterlogging in the basement caused by rain and other nearby sources, the land’s bearing capacity was affected, as a result of which a situation of land subsidence may have arisen.”Similarly, in Phool Bagh area of the city, on Friday morning, the boundary wall of Ordnance Equipment Factory (OEF) suddenly came crashing down. As soon as the wall collapsed with a loud noise, panic spread among nearby people. Fortunately, due to the continuous rain at that time, movement on the road was very less. Neither was any vehicle passing nor were cart and kiosk vendors present, due to which a major accident was averted.
